A world apart
by ToniLOVESjolie
Summary: Life is an adventure. It's not the end result that counts but the journey to get there...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Texas, she was going to Texas and the idea frightened her. She had grown up in a country town and she had left as soon as she could and yet now she was heading to one of the largest country places in the United States. Her grandfather lived there and ran a very successful oil company that he had raised from the ground up. If it hadn't been for her recent turn of events she would of never gone there but life had another idea for her.

_The media waited like an animal hunting it's prey and the second she stepped outside they were on her. Bombarding her with questions as the bright lights of the cameras flashed into her face and she covered her eyes.._

"_Miss Buchanan has nothing to say" her body guard Charles said as he guarded her with his body. She was half tempted to just tell them all to go to hell. It was as if they lived for this day. The day that the poor little heiress got dumped on her ass but she was stronger than that, she was a damn Buchanan for god sake.._

"_but is it true that Mr. Vega is due to have a child now" one of the reporters called out and she felt the bile raising in her throat.._

"_Miss Buchanan is there anything you would like to say to him now?" another reporter yelled out as Charles got the car door and for some reason, she wasn't sure why. Maybe she was just so sick of all the bullshit but she turned and faced them as they got quiet, extremely quiet.._

"_actually I do have something to say" she said as Charles looked at her in shock.._

"_Miss Buchanan" he began with worry in his voice.._

_She ignored him.."Mr Vega can kiss my big white ass!" she yelled as she flipped her middle finger at the cameras and then quickly got into the limo as Charles looked at her in shock. It wasn't like her to have an outburst like that but she didn't care, she was over it all. She was over all of it!_

_It was hours later that she ended back in the small town that she had been born and raised. Though she expected her parents to be happy to see her, well her father looked like he was about to blow a gasket as he paced his office with a newspaper in hand. It had a picture of her with her middle finger up and the headline wrote "Miss Buchanan heiress to the Buchanan fortune has finally lost it"_

"_are you kidding me Natalie!" her father yelled as she rolled her eyes. She wasn't a child anymore and she hated being treated like one. She was twenty five for god sake and for most of her life she had been surrounded by media, it was about time she finally said what was on her mind. She actually felt empowered by it but her father, the CEO and head of Buchanan Enterprise wasn't so empowered by it.."unacceptable" he continued.._

"_How exactly am I suppose to react after what has happened, he made a fool out of me, he is the one who was caught with his pants down!" she began to raise her voice.._

"_And I told you that we will let the lawyers take care of that" her father snapped.._

"_You know what dad, your lawyers cant fix this, my lawyers cant fix this, he cheated on me and he got caught, im the damn laughing stock of the entire world!" she yelled as she stood up now and her mother walked into the room with her tray of tea as Natalie huffed.."and I don't want anymore tea mother, teat doesn't solve anything" she turned on her heels.._

"_Natalie, Natalie you get back here right now" her father yelled out as she got to the door.._

"_Or what father, huh? What exactly are you going to do" she snapped.."maybe you should call your lawyers and get an opinion!" she stormed out of the room as Clint huffed angrily.._

"_i swear that girl is going to be her own downfall" he snapped as he slammed the paper onto the table.._

"_Clint she is going through a very hard time, she was going to be married soon" her mother Victoria said softly as she put the tray down.._

"_well if she would of just listened to me then we could of avoided all of this" he began to pour himself a drink.._

"_you know you shouldn't be drinking with the medicine your taking" Victoria began as he slammed the bottle down.._

"_Great now I cant even have a god damn drink" he sat roughly into his chair.._

"_she is upset ok, she has every right to be and believe it or not Clint, this one you cant fix, only time can do that" Victoria said softly as she began to hand him a cup of tea.."Now try and relax, it isn't good for your blood pressure" she smiled sweetly.._

"_whats not good for my blood pressure is that daughter of ours acting out to the media" he said angrily but he grabbed the cup of tea.._

"_its all water under the bridge dear" Victoria said as she leaned forward and kissed his forehead.."she will be ok, she just needs time"_

_Natalie stormed up two flights of stairs as she headed into the bedroom she had grown up in. As soon as the door closed she began to cry heavily into her hands. Everything was completely destroyed. She left her apartment in AC, she left her the paper that she had built from the ground up and her fiancee had made an absolute fool of her. She was sickened, embarrassed and not to mention she was back in her parents home after not being in town for almost five years. She had left the excitement of the city and came back home to the country. Her life really did suck and she honestly had no one to blame but herself._

_She fell onto her bed and cried into her pillow. It was the first time since all of this had happened that she had actually allowed herself to cry. Even when she had confronted Chris she had been nothing but ice cold to him. She refused to let him see her break but now in the privacy of her childhood bedroom, well it was as if the flood gates opened and she wasn't sure if they planned on closing anytime soon._

It had been her father's idea to go and as much as she wanted to tell him to shove it, well she needed something. A break from it all, she needed time to breath and figure out what she was going to do with her life now but more importantly she wanted to go where no one knew who she was and no one cared.

She use to go to her grandfathers ranch as a child. She spent countless days horseback riding and swimming in the big lake. Oh what she would give to be able to relive those day but the fact of the matter was that she wasn't a child anymore. She was an adult and as of right now her life as she knew it was over but she decided to make the best of this trip out to Texas, hell maybe she would even enjoy herself though she greatly doubted it. She hated country music and cowboy hats though she did love to see her grandpa in one.

She got off the plane and was quite surprised that the media wasn't there to greet her. She had lived in the lime light for her whole life and as comforting as this was not to be hounded it was also very strange.

Should stood by the luggage carousel and she waited, where were her grandfather's men. Surely she wasn't going to carry her own bags? She waited and waited til the only bags left were hers and with a huff she grabbed the two large bags and began to pull them behind her. It was a dangerous feet especially since she had on four inch heels and a pencil skirt that made it hard to maneuver.

She was just about to pull out her cell phone to find out what the deal was when she heard his loud boisterous voice calling out to her as she turned to see her grandpa in the infamous ten gallon cowboy hat.."no it cant be, is this my beautiful grand daughter!" he came over to her as she dropped the bags onto the floor.."well I'll be is that you Natalie underneath all of that fancy stuff" he smiled big as she pulled off her sunglasses and smiled at him..

"Hi grandpa" she said as he embraced her hard and she could barely breathe..

"well let me have a look at you, all grown up and such" he smiled big as she shook her head..

"You look good grandpa" she said honestly. He always looked the same even from when she was younger. He always told her that hard work kept him young though she doubted that.

"and you look absolutely radiant, now explain to me why you haven't snagged a husband yet" he grinned..

"just lucky I suppose" she said with a nervous smile. She had forgotten that her grandfather knew nothing of her current situation. He was never big on media and if she remembered correctly he had threatened them with shot guns and what not when she was younger. Now no one bothered him and it was just the way he liked it..

Her grandfather laughed loud.."well maybe we can change that, I know a few cowboys" he began as she shook her head..

"actually im just enjoying being single grandpa" she said with a smile as he laughed again..

"oh you say that now, you have seen a real man til you have been in Texas" he grinned and she just smiled. She had missed her grandpa. He was so different then her father, he was way more laid back and relaxed whereas her father was constantly uptight and stressed out.."well lets get those bags of yours, I got supper cooking on the stove" he smiled as he grabbed a bag and she grabbed the other as they headed outside.

She was surprised to see that there wasn't a limo to be seen and she expected one to pull up at any moment but when her grandpa began walking over to a pick up truck she nearly fell down..

"well don't just stand there darling, lets get this show on the road" he said as he opened the door for her of the large pick up truck and she slowly got in. The dress made it difficult to move her legs in that way but she managed to somewhat topple in as he laughed.."i do hope you brought yourself some comfortable clothes dear those look very uncomfortable" he shook his head and she was just about to comment about how her clothes cost more than most peoples home but she kept her mouth shut. She wasn't in the big city anymore, she was now in Texas!

The truck bounced and bumped up and down the dirt road as she held on for dear life. She didn't remembered the roads from her childhood but she would have been sure that they would have been paved by now. Dust and dirt flew in the air as he drove and carried on about his ranch. Apparently he had been getting along just fine after her grandmother had passed. He definitely knew how to take care of himself.

"i do hope you are hungry" he smiled wide.."I have chicken frying and a big bat of mashed potatoes"

"sounds great Grandpa" she said with a forced smile, she couldn't tell him that she had been a vegan for almost ten years now and that the thought of eating a chicken made her ill. She would fake her way through it, now that she was good at. Faking, she did a lot of that in the past days.

"I still have your bedroom made up like last time you came out" he grinned and she could only imagine what that would look like. It had been at least ten years since she had gone there. The idea that the backstreet boys poster would still be on the wall was a bit funny.."Now I will warn ya, I go to bed early and I get up before the crows" he smiled..

"that's ok grandpa, I don't sleep much anyways" she said honestly. She couldn't remember the last time she had a good nights sleep..

"well were gonna change that, don't you know that lack of sleep causes wrinkles" he smiled.."look were here" he pointed up the road and her eyes got wide as she saw the large two story ranch. It was like slipping back in time. All the memories she thought she forgot from that place came crashing back.

She eyed the large horse stable that still stood and the large oak tree that she use to sit under as a child as she wrote in her journal. God she had forgot so much about this place but she smiled as they pulled up to the front of the house. Still all dirt, no concrete driveway. Even though her grandpa had enough money to buy the entire state of Texas he lived small with just the basic things plus he ran a full working farm on top of overseeing the oil business..."lets get you inside and settled" he said as he got out of the truck and she nearly fell out as she slipped her feet of the side where it hung about two feet off the ground.

The sight of her brand new heels was enough to make her cry. They were covered in dirt and just from the first step, she would have to throw them out now..

"your definitely gonna need yourself a good pair of boots, we can go into town tomorrow and get you a pair" her grandpa said as he grabbed her suitcases from the back of the truck. Yep they too were covered in dirt but she remained calm. They were just suitcases, she could get more when she went into town.

Natalie followed him onto the porch as she looked around. The rocking chairs she remembered sat quietly as she smiled. She used to sit out there with her grandma and just sip on ice tea as stories were told, mainly ones about how her grandpa had met but they had kept Natalie glued to the edge of her seat. Both her grandparents had always been good story tellers.

The sound of a horse out in the distance made her whip her head around as she saw a large black horse coming close to the property and a long haired man was on him. The sight of him alone made her stomach tighten. The man had no shirt on and a ratty pair of jeans but damn was he gorgeous. For a moment she just stared as he got closer.

"ah John you got little Bessie back!" her grandfather said as he walked back out onto the porch as John neared on the horse..

"she gave a bit of a fight but all she needed was a tender touch" he smiled as Natalie swallowed hard and quickly looked away from him..

"well she will be grateful that you got her before the big storm this weekend by the way this is my beautiful grand daughter Natalie, she will be staying with me for a bit" Her grandfather began.."Natalie this is John, he helps around here"

John got off of Bessie and walked her over to the stairs as he tied the reign onto one of the railings. Wiping off his hands on his jeans he held it out to Natalie.."it's a pleasure Miss Natalie" he said as she felt a flush come over her skin and she quickly shook his hand then pulled it back..She honestly was speechless. He was standing there shirtless and his muscles alone had her glued not to mention the tattoo on his chest that she tried to make out but couldn't.

"well why don't you join us for some supper" her grandfather began..

"I would love to Asa but tonight I have some plains with the little lady" John grinned and Natalie couldn't help but wonder who this little lady was and part of her felt jealousy go through her.."another time though, and again Miss Natalie it was a pleasure maybe I will see you around" he said with a smile and then he headed back to his horse..

"Give Lily my best" Asa called out and then he looked at Natalie.."now that is a good man, come on lets eat" he said as Natalie watched John get onto the horse and before he rode off he looked back at her and she quickly spun around and headed into the house.

The house was just as she remembered as they stepped inside. Even down to the paintings on the wall. She could almost remember running up and down these halls. It was the one thing she loved about going to her Grandpa's. He let her do things her parents never would. He let her be a kid.

"Your room is still upstairs, the second door on the left" he smiled as Natalie grabbed both bags and began to head upstairs.."I can help you with those darling" her grandpa said a bit in shock..

"its ok grandpa I got it" she gave him a smile.."I will be down soon" she said as she forced her heeled legs up those stairs. Her grandpa lived a hard life and she wasn't about to make him carry her bags upstairs. The were heavy but she would manage, barely but manage either way.

She was completely out of breath as she got outside her old bedroom door and she couldn't help but smile at the picture that was taped to it. It was a drawing she had done as a child and he had really kept it where she left it. Opening the door it felt as if she had traveled back in time as she dropped her bags on the ground and looked in amazement at the bedroom. Her eyes went to the backstreet boys poster and she couldn't help but laugh as she walked over to it.

She ran her fingers over it and then she eyed the small music box on the dresser and she picked it up and turned the dial on the bottom as it played. A small ballerina on top twirled around and around. Natalie remembered when she was just a little girl she had wanted to be a ballerina so bad but her father had told her no. He said dancing was for the foolish. So when she use to come and visit her grandparents she would just pretend that she was a ballerina.

She moved across the room now to the large standing mirror and she looked at herself as she sighed. The last few weeks had been wearing hard on her, she could see it in her eyes. She kicked off her heels and stared at them for a moment before she walked over to her suitcases and began to pull out clothes. This pencil skirt was going to have to go away for now.

The smell of fried chicken filled the house as Natalie made it downstairs in a sundress and sandals. She had to admit that even though she was a Vegan and she hadn't touched meat in years, it smelt damn good. Her grandfather was singing a tune as she entered the large country kitchen."I was going to offer you a ice tea but how about a beer with your old grandpa" he smiled at her..

"your the boss" she smiled as she took a seat and looked at the food all over the table. She contemplated what to do, the chicken looked as good as it smelt. She grabbed the beer bottle from the table and took a swig. She had never been a beer drinker, now wine she could do but for her grandpa she would have this beer and surprisingly it wasn't bad.."so what do you do all day grandpa to keep yourself occupied" she asked honestly wanting to know the answer..

"I ain't ever stop darling, the farm keeps me busy and this house. I heard you started your own paper in the city" he smiled..

"yeah well im not sure what im going to do with it now" she said honestly. She had passed it off to one of her best friend, Gigi. She had given her full control of the paper while Natalie figured out what to do next. The thought of even going back to AC for work was nightmare. She would eventually run into Chris, they ran In the same circles not to mention she would have to see that bitch Blair, now that thought infuriated her. She took another swig of her beer..

"You worry too much for a woman so young darling, life is about adventure, it's not the destination but the journey to it" he smiled as he came over to the table and took a swig of his beer.."nothing like a good old fashioned beer" he raised his bottle.."To my beautiful granddaughter"

"to my handsome and successful grandpa" she added as he smiled some and they each sipped their beer..

"Now lets dig in before the food gets cold" he smiled as he handed the plate of chicken to her and she looked at it for a moment.."the chicken ain't going to eat itself plus you need to get more meat on them bones" he grinned and without a second thought she grabbed a piece of chicken and immediately took a bite out of it. She sighed deep at the taste of the crunchy fried piece of meat, my god it was heaven. What the hell had she been doing all of these years!

They ate and talked and then ate some more. She couldn't remember the last time she had stuffed so much food in her. She actually felt exhausted just from that as she sat back now on the rocking chairs outside on the front porch. The sun was just setting as her and her grandpa watched with beers in hand..

"me and you grandma use to just sit here and watch the sun set and in the morn if we were lucky we could watch it rise again" he said with sadness in his voice..

"I miss grandma" she said honestly..

"I miss her too, everyday" he said softly and then he began to stand.."well the tank is full and if I don't head to bed now then no one will feed the cows and they get cranky if breakfast is late" he smiled as she stood now too..

"thank you for having me grandpa" she said as she hugged him tight..

"Oh darling its me who should thank you, you've made a lonely old man happy" he smiled as he pulled back.."Now you stop all that worrying you hear, your too beautiful to worry"

"I'll try" she smiled some..

"well im off, if you need anything" he began..

"I'll be fine grandpa, I think I will just sit out here a little more than go to bed myself" she said honestly as she yawned some..

"Oh now you got me started" he yawned as he smiled.."Night sweetheart"

"Night grandpa" she said as he walked inside and she sat back on the rocking chair just watching the sky swallow the sun.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Natalie awoke to the sound of a clanking noise and banging as well as voices as she jumped out of bed and saw it was only 7 am, frankly she was surprised she had slept so long but the clanking outside her window was enough to drive someone over the edge.

She quickly walked to the window only to see a huge tractor out there as well as John and her grandpa. They were playfully arguing about how the tractor wasn't going to budge.

"im telling you Asa its just these loose wires, I can have this up and running in no time" John said with a smile.

"Then you got more faith then I do, that thing ain't run in years" Asa shook his head and then much to his surprise, one clank later and then John was turning the key as it revved up like a beast.

Natalie watched from her window in awe. Seriously Chris couldn't even unclog the bathroom toilet, he had to call someone to do it. She shook her head as she watched John in action. He was not only ruggedly handsome but he could fix things, he really was a mans man.

As she stood there peering through her window he happened to look up at her and she froze for a second not only cause she was standing there in a nightgown but because he caught her snooping, she quickly moved to the opposite side of the window and breathed heavy, maybe he didn't see her? She laughed to herself at what had just happened. Seriously she had to get a grip, she had come to Texas to get a break from everything not to fantasize about some damn cowboy who apparently had a little lady at home. She shook her head as she stood there and then she quickly headed into the bathroom to shower.

Once out of the shower she stood and looked at the clothes piled high on the bed. She was going to be sure not to make the same mistake as yesterday. Her shoes were too precious to get destroyed and so she opted for a Chanel black and white printed sleeveless blouse so she wouldn't get heat stroke in the summer humidity and a light pair of black Capri's with matching strappy sandals to finish the look. She stared at herself in the mirror and decided that a pony tail was just about the only thing her hair would do in this weather without making her look like a wild beast. The heat was already getting to her and she hadn't even left the house yet.

As she headed downstairs she heard voices, one was her grandpa's and she was fairly certain the other one was to that rugged cowboy. Images of him in her head did incredible things to her body and she had to slow her breathing so that she wouldn't be panting.

"im telling you son, you are on a roll, first Bessie and now my tractor" Asa began with a laugh.."i may just have to take you to Vegas" Asa looked up and saw Natalie standing in the doorway as she swallowed hard. John had his shirt on today but it was a white tank top, one that she would expect a rugged cowboy to wear and it was so form fitting, honestly she didn't know if he looked better with it on or off..."Good morning darling" he smiled.."just in time for some breakfast"

"Morning Miss Natalie" John said with an appreciative smile as he looked over her body. He wasn't use to seeing women dressed like this, maybe in the city but here in the country it was extremely rare but he would be lying if he didn't say that her clothes and the body they covered hadn't stirred something in him. He had felt it yesterday too when he had come up onto the property riding Bessie. She looked like something out of a dream and for a moment he didn't know if he had been seeing things.

"Morning" Natalie said with a polite smile as she tried not to let her eyes linger.."I was actually thinking about going into town" she smiled some. She needed to get a pair of those boots her grandpa was talking about and she was just sure that she could run into a cute boutique somewhere.

"I wont be able to take you just yet darling, some of the cows got sick last night and I have a heck of a clean up to do" her grandpa said apologetically..Just as she was about to resign to the fact that she wouldn't be leaving the country house today John surprisingly spoke up..

"i could bring you if you like, show you around" he said with a smile.

"Oh I um" the thought of being alone with him did something to her. She hadn't felt this nervous to be around a guy in well forever..

"That is a great idea John" her grandfather said quickly as he looked at Natalie.."John here knows all those places you kids like to go to" he grinned..

"i wouldn't want to be a bother" Natalie finally said quickly..

"Oh it wouldn't be a bother at all Miss Natalie, I need to head into town anyways and pick up some supplies"he grinned and then looked at Asa.."don't forget about the cookout old man, we'll be counting on you" he continued and then he looked at Natalie.."Of course your more than welcome"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world" Asa smiled big.."You kids have fun and stay out of trouble" he laughed as he walked out of the kitchen..

"I really don't want to be a bother, really if you have things to do" Natalie began quickly as he smiled..

"Like I said before not a bother and if it was I wouldn't of offered" he smiled.."let me go get my truck and pull her around" he said as he walked out of the room and she felt her heart racing.

What was it about this guy that did that to her. Even Chris hadn't gotten her heart thudding away like this. It felt childish and embarrassing and she never got embarrassed. She quickly shook the thoughts out of her head as she walked to the front door and there was his truck. What was it with guys and trucks?

She stepped outside as he jumped out and went over to open her door, she smiled nervously as she attempted to get in but his truck was even higher up then her grandpa's.."here let me help" he said and before she could answer he lifted her up by her waist as she gasped some. Holy hell he was strong! She was completely flushed now from head to toe as he jumped in the drivers side and she looked around nervously.."not a fan of trucks I take it?" he smirked some and she glanced at him, damn he had a cute smile..

"just not use to being in them so much" she said with a nervous smile..

"well get use to it little lady" he said with a over the top heavy Texas accent as he pretended to tip an invisible hat.."Your in Texas now" he finished and she couldn't help but laugh. He was handsome and charming, a surprisingly nice combination.."i knew I could get a laugh out of you" he said as he put the truck in gear and she used one hand to hold onto the door as they took off..

She was surprised to see that none of these damn roads seemed to be paved, seriously what was up with that!They drove in silence for a few minutes until he spoke.."so how are you liking it here so far?"

"just like I remembered" she glanced at him and then quickly looked to the road. He was even more handsome close up..

"You've been here before?" he seemed a bit shocked..

"Yeah you know visiting my grandpa and all" she nodded her head. God she felt flushed as she sat there..

"of course, ive only been back here about five years now" he continued on the conversation.."moved around a lot but finally settled here, its a great town with great people" he smiled at her and she couldn't help but wonder where his little lady was at and if she would be angry that he was driving her around..

"I don't think I will be here long to get use to it" she said honestly, she really had to figure out what she was going to do with her life now. She knew it was only a matter of time before her father started barking more orders at her. This is what happens when your the only daughter to one of the wealthiest families in Pennsylvania.

"well you never know, this town could change you" he grinned some.."so what do you want to see first?"

"oh um... I don't. um" she began to ramble, now that she was heading into town she didn't even know what she wanted..

"well the best place to start anything is Mac's" he grinned..

"Ok" she said nervously.."what is Mac's" she couldn't help but ask..

"Oh you'll see" he grinned devilishly and she didn't know if she should be excited or scared to death.."don't be so nervous" he smirked..

"im not" she lied as her hands got sweaty and she kept looking out the window.

Well Mac's from the outside looked like a hole in the wall bar and to say she was uncomfortable and nervous would be an understatement. She was use to going to high end night clubs and venues, this honestly looked like something out of a horror movie and she was scared, truly scared as he came around to open the car door..

"This...this is Mac's" she couldn't help the way her voice squeaked as she looked at him and he smiled at her..

"trust me it gets better" he said as he put his hand out for her so she could hop out but the dirt ground and the combination of her sandals made her slide more than land and she nearly landed on her ass if he hadn't caught her when he did.."you probably should check into getting better shoes, those things will kill ya" he said as he pulled her up and for the first time in forever she found herself literally inches from a gorgeous rugged man who smelt of body wash and a hint of cologne. The rest was all man, it did something to her and she immediately flushed as he steadied her and smiled some as they began to walk to the door..

"are you sure this is ok" she asked nervously as he stopped at the door and looked at her. She could already hear the loud country music and the sound of many voices..

"I promise now relax and have fun, you do know how to do that, right" he smirked..

"I know how to have fun" she said a bit defensively..

"ok ok.. I may make you prove it later" he grinned as he opened the door and she was hit with the smell of cigarettes, cigars, alcohol and sweat. Definitely not the combination she was expecting. In AC they had banned all indoor smoking but apparently it hadn't made its way down to Texas yet..."come on you'll be fine" he said as she walked nervously as all eyes went on them.

She hadn't seen this many cowboy hats in one room, ever and to say that she didn't feel completely intimidated would have been an understatement. Why had she let him bring her there? She wanted to kick herself! He got up to the bar and began to make conversation with an older man who apparently was The Mac in question.."Miss Natalie this is the one and only Mac, not only the best bartender in the state but also a damn good psychologist if you shall need one" he smirked..

"Nice to meet you" Natalie said with a nervous tone..

"same here darling and don't listen to John, im the best damn bartender in this whole U S of A" he laughed loud..

"this is Asa's granddaughter, she is staying with him for a bit" John added..

"oh the great Asa Buchanan, is he still aiming his shot gun at anyone who goes on his property" he laughed..

"Just the government officials" John laughed..

"well I got me a shot gun for them too" Mac grinned.."so what can I get you two"

John looked at Natalie and she just shrugged her shoulders, she was sure they weren't going to have her wine there..

"a beer?" he looked at Natalie..

"sure" she said quickly and he looked a bit surprised..

"alright then, two beers" John grinned.."you don't look much like a beer drinker" he raised an eyebrow..

"I have been known to adjust" she said nervously..

John grabbed the beers and they headed to a table as he made small talk with some of the guys as they passed, one of them made an obnoxious sound towards Natalie as John stopped and spun around..

"Oh come on now Tommy you know I hate it when your rude" he said with a smile but there was definitely a threat behind his words..

"its fine really" Natalie said quickly, she could see this escalating to an all out brawl and one she wasn't ready to be in the middle of it..

"You heard that sweet thang, its fine" Tommy laughed drunkenly..

"well I said it ain't fine now apologize for being rude or I'll make ya" John stood his ground as he eyed the drunken man..

"oh come on John I was just messing around" Tommy began and it must have been something in Johns eyes because he visibly swallowed hard and then looked at Natalie.."I'm very sorry Ma'am, it wont happen again" he said quickly..

"Now you boys enjoy your drinks" John said as he turned back to Natalie who was literally white faced.."shall we?" he pointed to a table with his arm as he held the drinks. He looked completely unaffected, it baffled her.."so anyways" he said as they took a seat across from one another and he put a beer in front of her..

"do you confront people often" she couldn't help but ask..

"Only those who deserve it why?" he seemed confused..

"i just don't, I mean...its dangerous" she said honestly..

Now he smiled.."Dangerous? Sweetheart im the most dangerous person in here" he laughed some now.."Your from the big city right, and your telling me that you have never seen a man defend the honor of a woman"

"well where I go people don't behave rudely so" she said quickly as he raised an eyebrow..

"wow where have you been living all this time" he smirked as he shook his head.."the world is full of rude people, in every income bracket" he sipped his beer.."so why did you decide to come to this neck of the woods, something tells me it wasn't for the boots and humidity" he smirked some..

"Oh you know just" she began and then quickly sipped her beer as she didn't finish her sentence.."so you said you moved around alot" she said as a distraction.."why is that?"

"I'm not some wanted criminal if that's what you think" he looked at her hard and she swallowed visibly.."I'm kidding, relax" he smiled now and she smiled nervously.."i was in the Marines, got shipped around a lot and when I got out I wanted to settle down somewhere, you know the American dream with the white picket fence" he smiled some..

"Oh" she said unsure of what to ask next, she wanted to ask him if he was married. He didn't have a ring on but she still couldn't get the courage up to ask..But he had mentioned a little lady so there had to be someone in this town..

"and what about you, living the American dream?" he raised an eyebrow..

"somewhat" she said quickly..

"You really are difficult to talk to" he laughed a little as she blinked a bit in shock.."how about this we get one question a piece and if you we don't answer then we have to take a random shot from the bar" he smirked..

"oh I wouldn't be so good at this" she began nervously. She didn't want to talk about her life. She had gone there to forget about it and for the most part she had..

"well then I guess you will be drinking a lot of shots" he smirked as he got up.."I'll be right back"

"wait, but" she called out but it was to late he was already heading to the bar as she sighed.. She pulled out her cell phone and saw a ton of missed texts and calls. Her heart began to race when she saw some were from Chris. She was shocked that he would even call her.

"expecting a call" John said as he came back up to the table and she jumped some as she quickly put her phone back in her purse.."if you need to make a call I can step away" he asked..

"nope, nobody important" she said quickly.."but as for this game" she began..

"Hey all you gotta do is answer the question or drink, no pressure" he smiled as he took a seat across from her. There were four shot glasses in front of them, all of them were clear in color.."I'll even be a gentleman and let you go first"

"im not good at this" she said again..

"at what? Asking questions, something tells me that is a lie" he smiled.."go on, just try it"

"fine" she sat up straight, she really wanted to know about that little lady but she decided to not ask, at least not now.."what is your career now"

"well now your just being too easy on me" he laughed.."i fix things, I do odd jobs and what not"

"You fix things? That's all?" she said with a surprised look..

"I mean without getting into full details, yes I fix things, is that surprising?" he didn't know why she seemed so surprised. He never felt ashamed about what he did before but sitting in front of her right now he was beginning to feel that way..

"its just you said you were in the Marines" she was still confused. She didn't understand how someone could support themselves by just fixing things, it seemed odd..

"and your point is?" he looked at her seriously..

"Nothing I just" she shook her head, she could tell he was getting offended.."I told you I am not good at this stuff"

"what exactly do you do Miss Natalie" he asked quickly and she quickly went to grab a shot glass but he moved them away..."wait hold up that isn't even a hard question"

"I just don't want to talk about myself, I will take the shot" she said quickly..

"But its just a simple question, its not like I am asking you if your involved with anyone" he began as she grabbed the shot glass now..

"and no im not"she said with a shaking voice as she downed the shot..

"actually you didn't have to drink If you answered" he began as she grabbed another shot and downed it.."I think you misunderstood the rules" he said as she went to grab the third shot and he grabbed her hand before she could and she was visibly shaking now...He was about to say something, ask who or what had done this to her but she stood up now. Tears apparent in her eyes..

"I need to use the ladies room" she said as he began to stand.."I'm sure I can find it myself" she said as she spun from him and quickly began walking, she saw a sign for the restroom and she made a bee line before she began crying hysterically in front of all these prying eyes...

She took a few deep breaths as she entered the bathroom and she almost laughed out loud by the sight of it. Filthy, absolutely filthy. She went to the sink and quickly fixed her eye makeup that was beginning to run now from the few tears that had fallen but the more she looked at herself the more she couldn't help the tears that fell. My god was she having a nervous breakdown and in some run down bathroom in the backwoods of Texas!

"are you ok in there" she heard John call from the other side of the door..

"Yeah im fine, be out in a sec"she forced her bravest voice as she covered her face and cried. Her life was in shambles just like this damn bathroom.

John was more than concerned as he paced outside the bathroom door. She had looked so vulnerable and upset. He knew from experience that someone or something had caused this sudden outburst and at that moment he wanted to find that someone and teach them a lesson or two about respecting women.

The bathroom door opened as he turned and looked. She seemed ok now, even forcing a bit of a smile.."i don't think the alcohol mixed well with me" she lied and she hoped that he bought it or more so that he wouldn't delve any deeper..

"well its probably cause you haven't ate yet have you" he said with a smile even though he could tell she was lying but he would play along, for now.."let me get you a burger"

"actually a salad would probably be better" she said quickly and he smiled..

"Now I know Mac can make a mean burger but a salad, between you and me I wouldn't take any chances" he grinned..

" fine, a burger" she said quickly. Now it would be twice in two days that she ate the animals that she had sworn she would never touch again.. What was up with Texas and this constant need for meat!

She made her way back to the table and saw the other two shots were gone, apparently he had decided to drink them himself. Which was probably for the best because she could only imagine the outbursts she would have with that strong of alcohol in her system. He came back to the table and she tried to act completely nonchalant..

"Ok so no more game" he said quickly as he took a seat.."how about movies and music"

"ok what about them" she said quickly..

"whats your favorite movie" he asked..

"um...i don't really have one" she said honestly..

"You don't have a favorite movie, I can think of like ten off the top of my head" he said in shock..

"i just don't, you know really have time for movies or tv" she said as she stared at her beer bottle..

"Ok... then how about music" he asked and she just shrugged her shoulders.."what exactly do you do for fun Miss Natalie"

"fun... hmm... well I go to a lot of dinner meetings and fashion shows" she said quickly as he stared at her with wide eyes..

"and that's your idea of fun?"he said in shock.."dinner meetings, fun?"

"ok so maybe they aren't fun but im a very busy person" she said quickly as she sipped her beer once more..

"ok so you have said that a few times but you don't want to tell me what you do" he began as he raised an eyebrow.."Your not a trained assassin are you?" he said with such a serious voice that she nearly spit out her beer as she laughed and then he began to laugh too.."so you do have a sense of humor"

"and you can be funny at times" she shook her head and smiled some..

"Oh you have barely touched the surface, there is a ton more where that came from" he grinned as he sipped his beer..

The food came in a pile of greasy goodness and she surprisingly ate it. She could only imagine the priceless look on Chris's face if he saw her eating meat. He may just drop dead from the sight and that made it taste even better. John on the other hand told small stories of different things he had experienced over the years and he was right. He was damn funny and soon she actually felt herself relaxing some as they sat there but still no talk of this little lady and she was more curious now then ever but still not feeling comfortable enough to ask.

"so this white picket fence that you mention, do you have that?" she asked in hopes of learning more about his family life even though part of her knew that she shouldn't even care but she did. Oddly she did..

"well the fence is still a work in progress" he smiled some.."Lily she tries to help but between you and me she makes more work for me" he smirked some as her eyes got wide..

"oh well..." she began, so there it was. That had to be his little lady, Lily. She felt uncomfortable sitting there now with this new information.."and um if you don't mind me asking, Lily is ok with you driving women around" she began as he laughed some as he took a sip of his beer..

"well she doesn't really have a choice though I would say she would probably be jealous" he laughed a little as Natalie's eyes got wide. She was shocked at how blasé he was about this. She felt even more uncomfortable then before..

"well I don't want to cause a stir" Natalie began to fidget some..

"a stir not at all, lily is very polite to be honest she would probably want to play with you" he smiled and now she stood, banging the table with her legs as she did so..

"excuse me" she said in shock as people began to look at them."Listen I don't know what kind of game your playing here but im not interested with playing with anyone" she said completely serious as John stood now. The look on his face was priceless and then he began to laugh.."what, its not funny. I'm not into some back woods kind of fun" she said sternly.."stop laughing"

"im sorry its just, the look on your face" he could barely talk as he laughed and she had had just about enough of this..

"Have a good day I will find my own way home" she turned on her heel as he called her name but she kept going. She was mortified, embarrassed and he had seemed like a decent guy, apparently he wasn't!

"Natalie, can you just wait a second" he called out as she got outside and she spun and faced him..

"You should be ashamed of yourself, I have never been so mortified in my life, do I look like some common hooker to you or...or a swinger!" she snapped angrily..

"Hey I didn't insinuate any of that, if you would just let me explain" he began as he stopped laughing..

"Oh I think I have heard more than enough, thank you very much" she spun from him..

"Lily is not my wife, she isn't even a girlfriend Natalie, she's...she's my daughter" he called out as she stood there and then turned to face him..

"I'm sorry what?" she said in shock as he began walking over..

"Lily is my daughter, my five year old daughter" he said quickly and now she turned bright red as she stood there, mortified wasn't even the word she felt at this very moment. She wanted to find a rock to crawl under and hide..


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Natalie stood there completely mortified as she looked at him and he repeated the words.." Lily is my daughter"

"Oh my god" she turned from him, she couldn't barely stand to look at him now. She felt like a complete fool..

"well now that we know im not a complete pervert" he shook his head and then laughed some..

"I'm such an idiot" she said again as he began to laugh louder and she turned to look at him.."why are you laughing"

"because im sorry, its just... you thought I was trying to bring you back to my place to play with my wife?" he laughed so hard he had to bend over and she shook her head and then she too began to laugh. This was absolutely ridiculous!.."i mean I think if I was playing that game then I would have a better line then my wife wanting to play with you" he continued to laugh..

"it just sounded..God...im so embarrassed" she said with a laugh..

"well at least im glad to know that you wouldn't of taken me up on the offer because then we would have had a real issue" he laughed..

"and I made a huge scene in there" she shook her head as she turning flaming red now..

"oh they have seen worse" he shook his head.."But you really did think that I.. " he laughed and shook his head some more..

"yeah well I guess I was just thinking" her words trailed..

"well for starters I wouldn't of offered to drive a pretty lady like yourself around if I had a significant other at home" he finally said and she swallowed hard.."that would be a bit sleazy of me, don't you think"

"yeah but you never know these days" she still wanted to die and he had called her pretty, at least she was still red from embarrassment that she couldn't get any redder..

"do I really look like a sleaze bag?" he raised an eyebrow..

"well trust me, they come in all shapes and colors" she said a bit bitterly as she thought of Chris. She would of never thought in a million years that he would of cheated on her and yet he had and not only that but with a woman she knew who was at least ten years older then him..

"and so the truth comes out" he said honestly as they stood there..

"im sorry what" she said a bit confused..

"some asshole cheated on you, that is surprising" he began as she swallowed hard..

"and why would that be surprising" she tried to be nonchalant..

"because look at you, your beautiful, intelligent and you apparently have your shit together" he said honestly and now she couldn't help but smile a little.."You do know that right, I mean if some asshole didn't see that then its his loss"

"Yeah well I could use that shot now" she said with a shake of her head as she flushed..

"yeah me too" he laughed a little..

"so you have a daughter" she began to say as he smiled seeming almost shy like as he ran his hands through his long hair..

"surprising?" he asked..

"Just unexpected" she said nervously..

"and I bet your wondering where her mom is" he said seriously..

"Oh I wouldn't impose" she said quickly even though that was exactly on her mind..

"no its ok, she passed away giving birth to Lily" he began as Natalie gasped some..

"I'm so sorry, that's..that's horrible" now she felt like complete shit for even bringing it up..

"Oh please don't feel sorry for me, regardless of what the majority says a single dad can actually raise a child and I would like to add a damn good child" he smiled some..

"i know but... my gosh I just have no words" she began..

"well listen enough about that" he said quickly and she knew it was time to drop the subject.."boots" he said as he looked down at her feet and so did she..

"Boots?" she said a bit confused..

"we cant have you walking through the dirt and mud here in those" he grinned..

"Oh boots" she said quickly and then flushed..

"there's a place right up the road" he began as he walked over to the truck..

"but I need to at least pay you for the lunch and drinks" she began as she started digging through her purse..

"the second rule of Texas hospitality is to never let the woman pay" he smiled..

"that sounds a bit old fashioned" she raised an eyebrow at him but a playful one..

"what can I say, im an old fashioned bloke" he grinned.."come on lets go get you booted up" he said as he opened the truck door and she sighed, dreading to make the embarrassing leap inside but before she could say anything he lifted her up quick and placed her on the seat..

"is that part of this Texas hospitality?" she smirked..

"could be or maybe just an excuse to touch you" he winked at her and then closed the door as she inhaled deep. Wow, this man really did have it all and he was sexy as hell. Now the child part was a bit frightening for her, she had never wanted children. She quickly laughed as she thought of what she was thinking. Hell he only lifted you and bought you lunch, its not like you were on an actual date!.."wanna share in on the joke" he said as he got in and she immediately stopped laughing as she flushed and looked straight ahead..

"Nope" she smiled and he did too as he started up the truck and they left.

Natalie had no idea that there were this many different kinds of boots and all in one store. It was like a boot explosion as they walked into the local mom and pop retail store..

"how come you don't have any boots" she asked John as they walked around the store..

"Oh I do I just don't walk around in them every day" he grinned.."go ahead check them out" he said as he walked over to the older man behind the cashier and Natalie started looking around..

"she's not from around these parts huh John" the clerk by the name of Larry said as John watched her..

"not at all, Asa's granddaughter" John answered..

"ah that makes sense, she is quite easy on the eyes wouldn't you say" Larry nudged him as John shook his head..

"that she is Larry" he said honestly..

"and how long will she be in town" Larry grinned..

"i don't know, she says not long" John said with a bit of disappointment in his voice. He really liked her. She was a bit over the top and definitely not use to country living but she was sweet and funny not to mention absolutely gorgeous.

"well you know we Texans can change that especially once she gets to see a real man in action if you know what I mean" Larry laughed some..

"alright Larry maybe you should lay off the sauce during the day" John laughed..

Natalie picked up a pair of light brown boots with an intricate design of turquoise

flowers embroidered on it. Now this was definitely something that she could get into but she wondered if they had one in every color because a girl had to coordinate her boots and clothing..

"those are nice" John said as he walked over to her..

"but I only see this one color, do you think they have more in the back" she asked as she studied the boot some more..

"You don't like the colors?" John asked..

"Oh no I love them but it would be nice to have one in each color available" she smiled as he rolled his eyes..."what, a girl has to coordinate"

"i thought you weren't planning on staying long" he raised an eyebrow..

"boots are in fashion everywhere you know, I just had no idea they could be this cute" she grinned..

"well then one pair should be good for now" he smirked.."maybe you could even wear them to the BBQ were having in a few days"

"Oh..." she said a bit nervously..

"I mean if you wanted to come, it would be fun,i could even show you how to square dance" he grinned at her..

"You? Square dancing? Now I may just have to come see this" she laughed a little..

"oh I have been known to bust a move at times" he grinned as he shook his hips a little and she laughed..

"Ok cowboy you got some moves" she laughed..

"Oh you think im kidding, now you have to come just to see" he smiled..

"Maybe I will" she smiled as she walked past him. She liked his playful banter. It had been so long since she was able to laugh and just relax. Back at home in AC it was like she was on overdrive constantly. Now and then her best friend Gigi and her would have a laughing fit over something but even those times were rare and Chris barely laughed. He was always so straight laced and serious. Natalie walked up to the counter and placed the boots on them.."Just the boots please" she said to the clerk..

"actually I got the boots" john stepped up and she looked at him..

"no, I got them you already got lunch" she said quickly..

"it's your first pair of genuine cowgirl boots it would be rude of me not to get them" John began..

"You know he has a point Miss" Larry grinned..

"but I am more than capable of getting my own boots" she said again. She wasn't use to anyone buying her anything..

"they are just boots and I would like to buy them for you" John said again..

"you don't have to do that, really" she began nervously as he looked at Larry..

"Ring them up please" John rolled his eyes playfully..

"well that is not fair, now im going to buy you something" she said quickly..

"You don't need to buy me anything, a gift is a gift" he smiled as Larry rang up the boots and they were nearly 250 dollars as she gasped..

"that's one hell of an expensive gift" she said in shock as John handed Larry a credit card.."You have to let me pay you back" she began to ramble..

"You can pay me back by wearing them to the barbecue" John grinned as Larry put the boots into a large bag and then handed it to Natalie..

"Fine but I still owe you" Natalie said quickly as they began to walk out..

"i hear he takes a kiss as payment" Larry called out as they stepped outside, now John was the one turning red.

"don't listen to that old man he's a bit nutty" John shook his flushed face..

"a kiss for payment?" Natalie decided it would be fun to make him blush this time especially since she was the one constantly red faced..

"Oh your hilarious" John rolled his eyes..

"i mean is there a kiss limit or minimum" Natalie joked some more as he turned even redder.."come on inquiring minds would like to know" she laughed as they got to his truck..

"keep em coming" John shook his head..

"I mean are we talking a peck here or" she began as John turned and faced her, literally inches from her...He leaned in more and she didn't budge and then he was opening the truck door behind her..She swallowed hard as his torso touched hers. My god this man was absolutely gorgeous..

"you know a kiss for payment may not be such a bad idea after all" he grinned seductively..

"Maybe" she said a bit breathless, she was sure he was going to kiss her and she wanted him to kiss her..

"I guess you will just have to wait and see, what is that saying, oh yes, patience is a virtue" he grinned and then picked her up and placed her in the truck. She finally let out the breath she had been holding. He was sexy with a capital S.

She thanked John again for the like the millionth time as he got her back to her grandpa's place. Standing outside his truck with the bag in her hand she smiled.."well this was fun" she said honestly.

Now he grinned as he ran a hand through his hair.."and here I thought you didn't know what fun was"

Natalie stood there awkwardly In front of him. She was mentally trying to tell him now would be a good time for kiss. She couldn't believe she was actually thinking this way. She never wanted a damn kiss so bad!

"well you have a good night Ma'am" he finally said with an over the top accent as he turned from her.."don't forget about the barbecue" he called out as he opened his truck door..

"Night John"she said with a wave and then she was walking up to the porch, a huge smile on her face as she swung the bag in her hand..

"now that's a look I haven't seen yet darling" her grandfather said as he opened the door and she flushed some.."i take it you had a good time" he raised an eyebrow at her..

"actually I did, a very good time. John is an interesting man" she smiled as he gave her grandpa a kiss on the cheek and headed inside.."even got myself a pair of boots" she said as she pulled out the boots and showed them off..

"Now that there is some nice boots" he smiled..

"they are" she smiled some.."so John has a daughter" she couldn't help but ask, she knew that if anyone knew anything about John it was him..

"Ah sweet Lily" he said with a smile.."he told you about her?" he seemed surprised..

"Yeah, why?" she was confused now..

"ah its nothing, its just that John rarely opens up that much, you must be working that good ole Buchanan charm" he grinned as Natalie rolled her eyes playfully.."have I ever told you the story about when me and your grandma had our first dance" he said with a sparkle in his eyes. She just knew this was going to be a long night..

John made his way home and he smiled as he saw his mom on the front porch and Lily laying on her stomach coloring. She popped her head up as he pulled into the driveway and then she was running over..

"Daddy your home!" she said as she ran over to him and he scooped her up and spun her around as she squealed..

"How ya doing pumpkin" he smiled at her..

"good, me and nana made cookies and I drew you a picture, wanna see" she said with great big blue eyes..

"sure lets see what ya got" he said as he put her down and she ran over and grabbed her paper..

"Your home early" His mom said quickly..

"Yeah no big deal" he smiled..He honestly did not want to tell his mom that he had just spent the day with Asa Buchanan's granddaughter. For one she thought he was a crazy old bat and for two she would be trying to set up a meeting so that she could drill her properly about her intentions.

"see look"Lily said as she brought the picture over of a boat on the high seas.."and that's you and me, and up there I even put mama in it, she's in heaven looking at us"

"well that's one great picture Lily bear, let me get it on the fridge" he smiled as they began to walk inside..

"I put a roast in the oven, it should be done in about an hour" his mother Eve said with a smile..

"Your not gonna stay for dinner" he asked though he silently hoped she wouldn't Not that he didn't love his mom but she could be a bit overwhelming at times..

"actually if you don't mind I have a bridge game to get ready" she kissed his cheek.."Lily come give nana a kiss goodbye" she called out as John walked in the kitchen and placed the picture on it. There were so many on there now that you could barely see the fridge. He would have to make a large picture frame and put them in there.

"daddy did you try the cookies" Lily said as she came back in the kitchen and John heard his mom leave. He glanced on the counter..

"You mean these cookies" he said as she grabbed one and took a bite and then handed her one as she bit into it..

"Yum these are good" she said with a mouthful of cookies..

"and you little miss need to get cleaned up, lets get the shower going" he said as Lily stood up tall not..

"Daddy im a big girl now, I can do it by myself" she said with a smile..

"Oh you are now" he grinned..

"yep, I can wash my hair and everything" she smiled..

"but can you out run the tickle monster" he smirked at her as her eyes got wide and then she took off running..

"tickle monster tickle monster" she laughed as she ran..

"the tickle monster can smell the cookies" he called out and then she ran into the bathroom..

Nuh uh, not when I get a shower daddy" she called out as he heard the shower water turn on and he sighed.

His baby wasn't a baby anymore. She really was turning into a big girl.. He grabbed the ice tea from the fridge and poured himself a glass as his mind went to Natalie He was fairly certain that she was way out of his league, I mean he knew how much Asa was worth, he could only imagine the same would be for Natalie but he couldn't help himself he really did like her but the fact of the matter was that they were from two different worlds.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Natalie awoke with an extra bounce in her step. For the first time since she had been in Texas she felt refreshed and it was an amazing feeling. She had even picked up the phone and talked to very worried Gigi.

"Texas, your in damn Texas!" she had said in shock as Natalie sat on her bed.

"its actually pretty nice here, you know I use to come here as a kid" Natalie smiled some..

"You sound different" Gigi said quickly..

"yeah well a little sunshine does that to a person, now how is the paper going, are you ok. I feel horrible putting it all on you" Natalie said honestly..

"yeah well I don't envy you at all, ive become a slave driver here, I'm pretty sure they are referring to me as the evil queen" Gigi laughed some.."Please tell me your coming home soon"

"yeah I mean I just don't know when" Natalie said quietly..

"Have you talked to him at all" Gigi asked with concern..

"no but he is constantly blowing up my phone, honestly I have nothing left to say to him" Natalie said honestly as she heard what sounded like a lawn mower outside and she got up and headed to the window. Smiling she saw John using the ride on tractor..

"yeah well he has already come by here twice" Gigi began..

"what? You can tell him to" Natalie began..

Gigi cut her off.."kiss your big white ass" she laughed and Natalie began to laugh too..

"so I take it you heard" Natalie continued to watch John. He was shirtless again and his hair was pulled back in a pony tail. Seriously it didn't get any hotter than that..

"Um I don't know who hasn't, that my friend was priceless.. im sure your dad wasn't too happy" Gigi laughed..

"Yeah well he wasn't the one who was screwed over, no pun intended" Natalie rolled her eyes as she continued watching him..

"well you are missed girl but take the time you need, who knows maybe you will wrangle yourself up a cowboy" Gigi smirked..

"maybe" Natalie smiled..

The girls hung up as Natalie made her way downstairs. She was actually humming a tune as she came down the stairs. The house was quiet as she went into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee.. She moved back to the front of the house where she peeked through the window to watch him some more but the lawn mower was now unoccupied. She moved the curtain some more as she tried to find him..

"Looking for someone" his voice came up from behind her as she jumped, spilling her coffee some as she spun around and there he was. Shirtless, covered in sweat and looking unbelievably hot. He had a smirk on his face as he wiped it with a towel..

"Oh um, I just I heard a noise" she lied nervously..

He couldn't help but smirk at her scrambling for words, she was checking him out!.."a noise, what kind of noise" he decided to play along with her game..

"um it was loud" she said nervously..

"Kind of like a lawn mower" he smirked..

"yep that was it, you know us city girls, a lawn mower is like totally rare" she felt so embarrassed as she spoke..

"wow no lawn mowers in the city, interesting" he smirked some.."i can show it to you up close and personal" he grinned..

"sure, why not" she said quickly..

"come on lets show you this mysterious grass mowing machine" he laughed some and she did too but hers was more of a nervous I just got caught peeping kind of laugh..

They stepped outside and she immediately felt the humidity and she was grateful that she had worn a sundress and flip flops, seriously this weather was scorching. She watched as John walked in front of her and she looked at his back and how the muscles moved. Hot damn! He was wearing another pair of rugged jeans, this pair had a few holes in them but it only added to the pure hotness of him..

"so like a car you drive this bad boy, I changed out the motor so it goes pretty damn fast like 35 miles an hour" he grinned proudly..

"wow you changed the motor?" she asked as she walked up to it..

"well normally these things are pretty slow and I had some time on my hands" he smirked.."wanna give it a go?"

"what?me? Now?" she said in shock..

"Oh come on, you may even like it, fun...remember" he grinned big..

"Oh I wouldn't even know what to do" she began as he tossed his towel aside and looked at her..

"You can drive, right?" he cocked his head..

"sure.. I mean yeah who cant drive" she said nervously but in all honesty she hadn't driven in years and why would she have to, she always had a driver..

"You cant drive" he said with a grin and she gave in as she sighed..

"well maybe I don't drive often" she said nervously..

"then how do you get around" he asked and she shrugged her shoulders some.."let me guess you have a driver that does that for you?"

"you know its not really that big of a deal, and plus its the city, have you ever seen the traffic in the city" she said quickly..

"alright, were doing this, come on, your gonna drive" he said with a smile..

Her eyes got wide.."now? But I have coffee in my hand" she began as he walked over to her and took the cup..

"and now you don't" he grinned and then took a sip of it. There was something so incredibly sexy about him drinking from her cup, she felt the temperature in her skin spike as she quickly looked at the lawn mower.."so its pretty simple" he said as he pointed to a few parts as she came over.

Even though he was covered in sweat he still smelt amazing and it made it hard to concentrate as she tried to pay attention.."Ok so this is the gas, this one here is the brake and then you just steer, we'll keep the blades up for now" he looked at her. She was so close and everything in him wanted to just grab her right then and there and kiss her. He was fairly certain she wanted it to by the hazed over look in her eyes, either that or the heat was getting to her. He quickly looked back at the lawn mower.."so all you gotta do is get on"

"what if I cant stop" she said nervously and he laughed some..

"as long as you step on this pedal it will stop" he smiled..

"Ok" she swallowed hard as she stood next to it and then with a deep breath she sat on the seat and quickly she jumped up. "Holy shit the seat is burning hot" she said quickly as he laughed..

"that's the Texas sun for ya, here" he pulled another towel out of his back pocket and placed it on the seat.."this mower isn't use to having someone wear a dress"

"oh so you don't wear a dress" she laughed some..

"maybe I do, maybe I don't" he smirked as she laughed some more and then sat down on the towel. It was definitely a lot better now.."Ok so remember, gas here, brake here and just steer" he said as he leaned over her some and turned the key as it revved to life and she jumped and laughed as she sat there..

"wow that's really loud" she called out..

"now when I put this into drive your gonna start moving, so just give it some gas not much just a little you don't want to jerk yourself all around" he said as he pulled a lever by her legs and she smiled at him and then the darned thing began to move as she held onto the large steering wheel..

"woo.. holy crap im driving a mower" she called out as he watched her. It was funny because even though this was on a lawn mower she felt empowered by it. She was actually driving a large machine.."woo hooo!" she yelled out as she drove across the yard..

"don't forget to turn the wheel" he began as she headed towards the only tree in the yard.."Natalie turn the wheel" He yelled out as he ran after her..

"Oh my god, im trying, im trying" she began to panic as she turned the wheel finally just in the nick of time as John got over to her. His heart was racing, he was sure she was going to crash right into the tree.."that...was...amazing!" she said as John came over and laughed as he shook his head.."i thought I was going to crash and then I didn't, I wanna do it again" she smiled big..

"Yeah well you nearly gave me a heart attack, I think we should lay off of it for a little" he said honestly..

Natalie pouted now as she looked at him.."no fair, I wanna see how fast this bad boy goes"

"yeah and I would rather you stay in one piece" he laughed as he ran his hand through his hair..

"Your no fun" she said playfully..

"Oh im no fun huh" he said and then surprisingly jumped on right behind her as she gasped.."I created the word fun" he breathed into her ear as he leaned into her and she could barely think. Then he was slamming his foot onto the gas as they took off fast and she yelled out with excitement.."you wanna take that statement back" his breath was right in her ear and his strong body pressed against hers..

"your fun" she said quietly, her body was reacting in all sorts of ways from his contact..

"what I cant hear you?" he said a bit louder as he turned the wheel and they headed for a small hill..

"Your FUN!" she yelled out as she laughed and then they dipped down the hill and then back up again as she yelled out more and laughed..As they came to a stop she felt absolutely exhilarated."Now that was cool" she said with a grin as she turned her head to looked at him as he breathed heavy..

"very" he said with a heavy breath and then their eyes locked and their mouths moved closer but the sound of her grandpa calling out that breakfast was ready made her jump up and then off the mower as her heart raced.."I'm gonna finish this up" John said as he quickly put it into gear and then drove off as Natalie stood there for a second and then quickly ran over to the house. Her heart racing a mile a minute with what had almost happened..

At breakfast Natalie sat with a silly grin on her face as she ate eggs and bacon. Seriously this whole vegan thing she had going on was crazy, meat tasted good and bacon was like heaven..

By the time John got inside he had a tight black tshirt on as Asa offered him to eat and he sat down.."so how did it go yesterday?" he asked as Natalie stared at her food..

"we got the little lady some boots" John answered as Asa's eyes got wide..

"well hot damn my granddaughter has herself some boots"he laughed..

"they are really cute, thank you again for getting them even though you didn't need to" she said quickly as Asa looked at her then John..

"well ain't that some southern hospitality at its best, thank you john" he smiled big..

"well it was the least I could do" John ate a piece of bacon as he looked at Natalie and she looked back at him..

"did you get to show her Mac's" Asa continued..

"it was nice" Natalie said with a smile..

"hows that old son of a gun doing?" Asa grinned..

"great as always, he said to tell you Hi and to stop scaring people away with your guns" John smirked..

Asa laughed loud now.."i may just have to stop by that place myself, so any plans today darling?" he asked Natalie now as she glanced at John and then back at her plate..

"actually I was going to see if Natalie wanted to take the horses out for a run" John said quickly as she looked up now..

"Now that sounds like a fantastic deal, you still remember how to ride right?" Asa asked her..

"Oh um...i think" she said a bit nervously but not because of the horses but because of spending yet more time with John..

"its just like getting on a bike you never forget" John smiled..

After breakfast they headed to the stable in somewhat silence.."You know if you have things you have to do today" she began quietly as he looked at her and smiled..

"I'm doing it right now" he grinned at her as they neared the stable and then walked inside.."they are all trained real well, so just take your time and feel them out, you'll know which one to ride" he said as he stood back and watched her walk up to the first horse.

"should I pet them?" she began..It really had been a long time since she had ridden a horse. She had to be about fifteen since last time and that was ten years ago..

"just talk to them and see who responds to you" he leaned against the wall and just watched her. His body ached to touch her. He couldn't remember the last time he had wanted a woman this bad and that dress she wore was making it hard to concentrate.

Natalie made her way up to Bessie first and she seemed to want to have nothing to do with Natalie and so she made her way to the white horse with light brown spots, immediately the horse was trying to nuzzle her as she rubbed against her snout..

"wow" John said with surprised as she looked at him..

"what, I like her" she said with a smile as he came over..

"Your grandma use to ride her all the time, she apparently knows your family" he said with a grin..

"wow" Natalie said in awe.."how much time did you get to spend with my grandma" she asked with curiosity..

"the year before she passed, it was when I moved here" he smiled some..

"I wish I would have been around more" Natalie said with sadness, she had let her career and her life rule over everything. She hadn't even come to Texas for the funeral because she had a huge meeting to go to but now she wished that she would skipped the damn thing and come there. Maybe she would of met John then. Maybe somehow things would have been different..

"it was a nice ceremony" he said as Natalie shook her head..

"my life has kept me away from a lot of things" she said solemnly.

"yeah well your here now right, cant change the past plus your I haven't seen Asa in this good of a mood in forever, your good for him" he smiled.."come on lets go for a ride, it will help to clear your head"

"do you think im a bad person for not coming to see my grandparents sooner" she asked because somehow she needed his opinion and that was weird cause she never felt like she needed anyone's opinion before..

"Your not a bad person Natalie, we've all done things we regret" he said honestly..

"and what have you done that you regret" she asked softly..

"alot" he ran his hand through his hair and then stepped closer to her as her breathing quickened.."but lately, the one thing I regret is" his hand came up slowly and brushed a strand of her red hair behind her ear.."i regret not doing this sooner" he said as his lips touched hers softly at first and then her arms were wrapping around neck and she stood on her toes and the kiss quickly got heated. He ran his hands down her back and pulled her close and he turned her as her back hit the stable wall as they kissed hungrily..

The sound of one of the horses making a loud noise made them quickly pull back as they breathed heavily...John ran his hand through his hair and tried to compose himself.."alright so this horse is the one, right"

"yep, that's it" Natalie said as she tried to control her breathing..

"well um let me um just get a few things ready" he said as he quickly walked past her and she touched her lips with her fingers, she couldn't help but smile. It was one of the single most awkward moments and yet it was one of the most sexiest as well. His kiss still lingered on her lips as she watched him move around quickly to get the horses ready with their saddles. He looked just as awe struck as she felt as he moved from place to place. She had just kissed John McBain and it felt amazing, absolutely mind boggling amazing!

John was right about not forgetting how to ride a horse because as soon as she got onto her grandma's horse it was like she had never stopped riding as they made their way out of the stables..

"so we should take it easy first until you get your footing" John began as Natalie looked over at him and smirked..

"not a chance in hell" she said and then she was whipping the reigns as the horse took off and she yelled out a loud 'woo hoo' as they charged across the yard..

"Holy shit" John said as he took off with his horse too so that he could catch up with her.

Natalie had forgotten how beautiful her grandparents land was. It was nestled on acres of trails surrounded by the thickest of woods and right at the end of the property was the infamous lake that she had spent so many days at as a child. She had even learned how to swim out there.

"so who watches your daughter when your out fixing things" Natalie asked him as they got to a slow trot..

"My mom mostly, it keeps her busy and since that is her only grandchild" he began.."she really is a great kid and what about you, do you ever want kids" he asked..

"Oh... I don't think I would be really good at that with my work schedule and what not" she said with a shake of her head and he just nodded his. He almost looked disappointed and that confused her some.."Chris, my ex" she began though she wasn't quite sure why she was divulging this information to him but she continued.."he wanted a bunch of kids and thankfully for him he is getting what he wants" she said a bit bitterly..

"Ouch, you don't mean that he uh.." he began as she looked at him..

"Oh yeah, its amazing how sometimes you think you know someone and then poof" she said with a roll of her eyes..

"he sounds like a douche bag" John said honestly as she looked at him..

"Oh he is, you have no idea" she said honestly and then she pointed.."Oh wow, look at it, the water looks so blue from here" she said with wide eyes. This was just the distraction she needed because thinking of Chris and how he screwed her over only infuriated her..She looked over at John.."last one there is a rotten egg" she called out and then took off..

"seriously what are we five" he yelled out as he laughed and then he went charging after her..

Of course she beat him there with the advantage she had and she stopped her horse as they got close to the water as John came up on his.."wow this really is beautiful" she said as she looked out..

"it really is" he said but he wasn't looking at the water at all and she turned and looked at him as she blushed some as he jumped off his horse and then came over to her..

"You know this whole short thing is really getting tiring" she rolled her eyes playfully as he helped her down and it left them standing literally toe to toe..She inhaled deep as she looked at him and then she smiled some.."how cold do you think that water is?"

"Oh that water, right there" he glanced at it.."why don't we find out" he grinned devilishly as her eyes got wide..

"what? No.. don't you dare" she went to run but he picked her up and put her over his shoulder as she laughed and squealed loud.."don't do it John, don't do it" she began to say as he walked closer to the water and held a tight grip on her as he began kicking off his boots..

"I'm sorry were you saying something, I couldn't hear you" he smirked as they got over to the dock as he began to walk on it..

"John this is so unfair, you have no idea" she continued and then she slapped his butt as he laughed..

" I don't know if that is suppose to be torture or not but keep it up" he laughed as he stood at the edge of the dock..

"you know Karma will get you" she teased and he swung her back in front of him as he held onto her.."No no no no no" she laughed loudly..

"One" he grinned..

"Oh you evil evil man" she tried to get out of his arms..

"two" he smirked..

"Oh hell two can play at this game" she laughed and then she wrapped her arms around his neck and crashed her lips into his. It completely took him off guard and a second later he lost his footing as they both crashed into the water..


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

They both came up in the water as they laughed and coughed on the water.."see... told you... karma" she laughed and coughed..

"no shit, I never knew karma was so quick" he laughed as she tried to hold her head above the water and then he got hold of her arm and pulled her over.."better?" he smiled as he held her by the waist..

"yeah, better" she said breathless once more.."the waters not cold anymore" she continued as she swallowed hard..

"no...not cold at all" he looked at her with those blue seductive eyes..She reached her hand up and pushed a piece of his long hair from his face..

"it was in your eyes" she said quietly as she went to remove her hand but he took it in his and all the while looking at her he kissed the palm of her hand. Then he kissed her wrist, forearm as he watched her with his eyes as he got to her bicep she moved her other hand to his face and brought his lips up to meet hers in a slow passionate kiss..

His tongue felt so amazing in her mouth, rough yet soft and soon she was putting both of her hands into his long hair as deepened the kiss and he held her tight against his body in the water. His hand slowly trailing down to her ass as he grabbed her, immediately feeling her panties as the water had pushed her dress up her body..

With a low growl he spun them around in the water so that her back was against the post of the dock that went into the water.. The kiss quickly turned into a frenzy as she had her legs wrapped around his waist and even in the water she could feel his erection hard against her stomach.

He pulled back breathing heavy as he looked at her.."you wanna get out of here?"

She nodded her head as she bit her lip.."yeah"

The ride back on the horses was a hard one to make, especially since neither of them really said anything but they both had the same thing on their mind. They kept on looking at one another, clothes still dripping wet and eyes hazed over as they entered the property again and quickly got back to the stables.

Natalie didn't wait for him to help her off the horse as she jumped off and he did too as they both glanced up at the loft on the top of the stable and then she was running to the stairs as he followed.. He had to even his breathing because he wanted her so bad he could explode at any minute and then he caught the sight of her ass as she made her way up the steep stairs and it took everything in him not to jump on her right there, on those stairs..

Natalie too felt her heart racing as she got to the top and looked at all of the hay stacks up there, she could barely contain herself as he got up and immediately removed his wet shirt as he stalked over to her and before she could even say anything he was crushing his mouth against hers as he kissed her hungrily.

The tempo sped up as she reached for his jeans between them and she fumbled with the button. He pushed them onto a hay stack as he got up on his knees and she grabbed at her dress, pulling it over her head as he quickly yanked down his jeans and kicked them off. She couldn't help the small gasp as she saw he had gone commando and her eyes lingered on his impressive size and then he was leaning forward on his arms as he kissed her once more and then quickly undid her bra and then began pulling down her panties as their mouths broke apart and she laid back as he moved them down her legs..

"God your so beautiful" he rasped as he looked at her laying there and then he began kissing his way up her thighs as she moaned softly and arched her back as he came to the juncture between her legs..She felt his fingers first and then his tongue as she gasped and dug her hands into the hay surrounding them. She couldn't remember the last time that she had felt this alive. Her orgasm came by quick and surprising to her as his tongue moved coarsely against her sensitive flesh and his fingers dug into her hips as he went deeper and deeper..

"Oh my god, oh my god" she cried out as she rocked her hips against his face as she rode wave after wave of ecstasy She literally felt like she saw stars and then he was moving up her body quick as he panted against her mouth. The look on his face was pure raw desire and she nearly came just by the sight and then he was kissing her deep as he nestled himself between her legs and she felt his length rub continuously against her folds. It was all too much, she felt like she was on sensation overdrive and then he entered her, slowly inch by inch as he withdrew his mouth from her and arched his back as he groaned..

"God, you feel so good Natalie" he continued to groan as he slipped deeper and deeper inside of her. Her skin was so wet and tight around him that he nearly lost himself inside of her a few times as he delve deeper and deeper..

Natalie could barely think, she had never been so filled by anyone before and the feeling was unbelievable and frightening as well. His mouth descended on hers again as he fit his entire length inside of her and for a moment he didn't move as he kissed her hungrily..

She didn't think she could stand it , the feeling of him inside of her and then he was moving as she moaned into his mouth. Slow at first he moved and then quicker as he picked up the tempo and soon he had her hands above her head as he held them down as he dove into her with deep and fast thrusts as she cried out into his mouth.

One orgasm followed by another and she literally felt light headed as one peak hit into another and another until she was writhing against him and then with one last thrust he emptied inside of her with grunts and moans as he relaxed his body and rolled them over so that he was on his back and she was on top of him as their mouth continued their wicked onslaught.

It was quite a few minutes later that they laid there, her head on his strong chest as his fingers danced up and down her back.."that was" she said as she lifted her head some and looked at him..

"I know... amazing" he said honestly and the she began to giggle some as she looked at him..

"You have hay in your hair" she continued to giggle as she pulled the long pieces out one by one..

"You got a little something too" he said as he leaned up on an elbow and he brushed her hair from her neck as his lips descended on it.."and something here" he began to kiss down her collar bone as he rolled them back over and he slowly made a trail of kisses down her chest and then between her breasts. As he engulfed one nipple in his mouth, the sound of her grandpa singing some country tune made her eyes get wide as Johns head moved from her and she put a finger over his lips as her grandpa came into the barn as he sang and then talked to the horses.

Natalie's eyes looked over at the stairs were her bra hung off the edge and she gasped as she pointed to John. He moved slowly and cautiously as he reached his arm over.."caught ya!" Asa yelled out and then began to laugh as they both stiffened with wide eyes.."you thought I wouldn't notice you stealing an apple Bessie" he continued and Natalie could barely contain her laugh as she covered her mouth and John snatched up her bra and rolled onto his back..

Natalie looked at him as he began to laugh quietly too..The sound of Asa leaving the stable as he continued to sing his tune and then the doors closed as Natalie began to laugh and so did John..

"Oh my god I thought he totally caught you red handed" she laughed..

"well I could of always told him that I had a secret" he smirked some and she laughed some more..

"Oh what? That you like to wear womens clothes" she laughed as she swatted him with her hand..

"the world is a weird place" he smirked as he sat up now.."But maybe we should get out of here, next time he may decide to come up here"

"and I would die" she laughed as she sat up now..John leaned over and kissed her softly once more as she moaned into his mouth and then he pulled back as he brushed a piece of her hair back and she couldn't help but smile at him..

"so the barbecue later?" he raised an eyebrow..

"Oh its tonight?" she said in shock as they both began to get dressed..

"You will go right?" he asked as he stood and pulled up his jeans as she grinned at his form..

"eyes up here young lady" he smirked and she slowly stood too as she walked over to him, dropping her clothes on the ground as she did so..

"you know that you are just too damn sexy for your own good" she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and then kissed him deeply and soon they were back on the ground again as he kicked off his jeans.

By the time they got out of the stables Natalie tried to tip toe her way into the house after John left and she was pretty damn sure that she was in the clear but as she turned the corner her grandpa was coming down the hall..

"Ah there you are darling!" he said with a big smile.."i take it that you visited the lake" he smiled almost knowingly as she flushed some..

"Yep, it was just as I remembered" she said quickly..

"I'm glad to see that you and John are getting along well" he continued to smile..

"He's a great guy grandpa" she said honestly..

"well then I do hope you will be coming with me to the barbecue tonight" he grinned some..

"i think I will actually but I should probably get ready" she smiled as she walked past him..

"oh and dear you got a little bit of hay in your hair" he smirked and she turned a million shades of red as he began to hum loudly, she was sure that he knew, completely and totally sure..

John made his way home to change out of the wet clothes he had on but he couldn't help the grin he had on his face. It had been forever since he had felt like that, honestly he didn't know if he had ever felt like that..

As he got to his place he immediately realized he wasn't the only one there as he saw the car of a girl he knew all too well. It had been one of his most current flings, a girl by the name of Marty.. When he got out of his car she came out of his front door..

"There you are, I had been texting you" she moved up to him and went to kiss him but he placed his hand up instead, stopping her.."oh right, your mom" she grinned..

"Listen Marty whats up, im sort of busy right now" he said quickly..

"well" she smiled wide.." I seem to have some plumbing issues at my place and I could really use your help" she grinned at him wide..

John put his hand on her arm and moved her further away from the house as she smiled.."Marty I really don't appreciate you coming to my house like this" he said honestly..

"I know its just I texted and called you and when I didn't hear back" she began..

"Marty you need to go home ok, I have things I have to take care of here" he said quickly as she sighed..

"but your coming over right?" she said with a smile..

"No im not" he said quickly as her eyes got wide..

"why not" she said a bit loud..

"because Marty were not together ok and im sorry if you got that impression now you really need to go" he began to walk past her..

"John wait" she ran up to him and he spun around quick.."come on, lighten up a bit" she smiled at him..

"i have a hard time doing that especially since you came to my house, now you really need to go home" he said seriously..

"why are you being like this" she snapped at him as she grabbed his arm and he looked at her hard..

"Oh good John your home" his mom said as she stepped outside and walked over to them as Marty immediately let go of his arm.."i thought you were on your way out Marty" she said with a raised eyebrow as Marty looked at John..

"have a good night Marty" John said as he turned from her and then headed inside with his mom..

"You know I told you not mess with that girl, she is crazy" his mom said as they shut the front door..

"seriously mom I don't want to have this conversation with you" he shook his head..

"well then who is going to be up front with you, I mean do you really want her around Lily" she said seriously..

"Mom im not with her ok so drop it" he snapped as he walked past her and Lily came running down the hallway..

"Daddy!" she said as he picked her up and she squealed some.."Oh daddy your wet" she laughed as she tried to wiggle out of his arms..

"Ok Ok let daddy go get changed and then we will get your hair ready tonight for the party" he smiled as he put her down..

"i want nana to do it" Lily protested..

"Ok nana will fix it now go pick out a pretty dress" his mom said as she jumped up and down and then took off for her bedroom and then she stared at John..

"I'm going in the shower mom" John turned from her..

"I just don't know how your going to meet a nice girl if you keep hanging around the trash" she called out but he ignored her as he got into the bathroom and closed the door.. One of his biggest regrets was that he had even slept with Marty in the first place but it was only suppose to be about fun. He had made his intentions to her very clear. How was he suppose to know she would turn out to be crazy, hell she was the preachers daughter for god sake!

Natalie looked at herself in the full length mirror as she stood there in just a towel after her shower. She still couldn't get the image of John out of her head as she smiled. He made her feel alive, like really alive. The sound of her phone ringing snapped her from her thoughts as she glanced at it and sighed when she saw it was her father calling, she quickly picked it up.."Hey Dad"

"its about time you answer your phone" he said angrily as she took a seat on the bed..

"I've been busy" she said as an excuse..

"actually from where I stand you have been nothing but busy, you know your paper is still hanging by a thread" he lectured her..

"and I told you I needed time dad" she said honestly..

"yeah well how much time do you need, you cant just walk away from your life altogether and now that the dust has settled I think you should come back so we can fix this mess" he said matter of factly..

"the dust has settled? Dad my life was destroyed" she raised her voice now..

"Destroyed? The only one that is allowing that to happen is you, listen I spoke to Chris and " he began as she gasped in shock..

"You talked to him, why would you do that!" she snapped at him..

"because whether you want to admit it or not he is good for you, so he made a mistake" he began and she was utterly in shock..

"Good for me? Dad he cheated on me, he got some girl pregnant!" she was completely and totally in shock over this..

"and he is sorry about that, don't you see that this can be fixed" he lowered his voice some..

"wow I cant believe your actually saying this, aren't you suppose to have my back, im your daughter!" she said as tears threatened to fall..

"I do have your back, why do you think I spoke to him, Natalie your being foolish here, Chris is willing to put this behind him" he said as she stood now..

"You know what dad you can tell Chris I said he can screw himself and if you really feel that way then you can too!" she yelled and then hung up the phone as her body literally shook. She couldn't believe that her father had done this and for Chris to say he would put this behind him? Did everyone think she was just an idiot! She took her phone and flung it at her door as she began to cry and seconds later her grandpa was opening the door..

"Oh darling, whats wrong" he said with concern as he looked at the phone and then at her..

"everything is such a mess grandpa, all of it" she began to cry as he came over to her and quickly hugged her..

"Oh darling, its gonna be ok, everything is gonna be ok" he said softly as he hugged her..

"it really wont grandpa, my dad... he...he" she began to cry as he pulled back and wiped a few of her tears..

"First of your father is a pompous ass, he means well but he doesn't know his ass from his elbow" he began as Natalie laughed through some tears.."i mean it darling, why do you think I live here, I cant bear to surround myself with that all drama your father causes. I seriously don't know how Vicki puts up with it" he shook his head..

"he thinks I am destroying my life" she said as she wiped some tears..

"and if that isn't the kettle calling the pot black then I don't know what is" he shook his head.."let me tell you something about your father, even as a child he had no respect for anyone or anything except himself and I should of done better by him and then maybe he wouldn't of grown up to be such a spoiled brat" he said seriously..

"But everything is such a mess now, my paper, my life" she shook her head..

"the only one that has the ability to change their life is themselves, are you happy darling, like really happy?" he asked as she shook her head..

"i don't know" she began..

"Yes, yes you do, really think about it, are you happy in this moment, this day?" he asked..

"before the call...yes" she said quietly..

"then why are you letting him ruin that for you, if your happy then be happy life is too short to spend it dwelling on negativity. Life is about being happy and damn it if your happy then don't let anyone ruin that for you, even your spoiled brat father" he said and then smiled some..

"yeah well I eventually have to pick up my life, I cant just stay away forever" she said honestly..

"and you will in time, right now you deserve to be happy, you've earned it" he wiped some of her tears.."the rest will fall into place now if I remember correctly we have a barbecue to go to and I would very much like you to come along" he smiled some..

"i just don't know grandpa" she said honestly, she wasn't in the mood to be around anyone at the moment..

"if you just sit around wallowing in your own pity then life is gonna pass you right by" he said honestly.."don't let him win by taking away your happiness" he stood now.."im going to get myself dressed and I will be ready in about twenty minutes and if your waiting for me by the door then I will know that you decided to make your own choices and have a little fun and if not, well I will still love you even if you are having a pity party but I do hope to see you waiting there" he began walking to the door.."you know I do have a feeling that I wont be the only one who would be happy to see you tonight" he winked at her and then left as she sat there for another moment and then she stood up..

He was right, this was her life, her decisions and she was going to live it the way she wanted, not the way someone told her she had to! And with that she quickly went to get dressed, she had a barbecue to go to!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Natalie donned a white blouse that she tied off at her stomach, a jean skirt and her boots. She couldn't get the grin off her face, it was actually quite funny to think that even just a week ago she wouldn't of been seen in boots like these but now she absolutely loved them. She pulled her hair back in a pony tail and then glanced at her boots once more before heading into the hall where her grandfather was coming out of his room.

"well don't you just look dashing" Natalie said with a smile as she walked up to him. He had on a white button down shirt, black slacks and a pair of black cowboy boots and his finishing touch was his cowboy hat..The true cowboy..

"and you look absolutely beautiful" he smiled as she linked her arm with his.."so are you ready to do this shindig" she smirked at him..

"absolutely, I have the best looking date there" he grinned and they headed down the hallway arm in arm.

John fixed his shirt as he stood in front of the bathroom mirror. He felt nervous and he never got nervous. He wondered if Natalie would show up. He couldn't stop thinking about her and that was a scary thing especially since he hadn't even cared about another woman that way since Emma.. Maybe he was getting to ahead of himself, I mean sure they had amazing sex and she was fun to be around but how much longer was she going to be around? Maybe she was just taking a break from her life? The thought made him feel a bit ill, was he growing strong feelings for her? He shook the thoughts from his head, he had promised himself that he wouldn't get into a relationship with anyone for Lily's sake. There was too much to risk but could he, would he take that risk with Natalie.

"Ok boy seriously your taking longer than me to get ready" his mother laughed outside the door as he quickly opened it and she smiled wide.."wow, all dressed up" she had a hint of curiosity.

"Mom its just a barbecue, is Michael here yet" he changed the subject as he walked past her..

"Your brother is on his way" his mother called out as john got to the kitchen and quickly opened the fridge and grabbed a beer..

The sound of the door bell made John walk over as Lily came running, she was dressed in a black and white dress with her hair up in two big braids.."daddy is it uncle mike?" she said with wide eyes..

"I dunno pumpkin, why don't you see" John said as he stepped back from the door and Lily opened it as his brother and his wife stood there. She looked even bigger then last time John saw her. He seriously hoped she didn't go into labor tonight..

"Uncle Mike!" Lily said with wide eyes..

"Princess!" Michael said as he picked her up and spun her around..

"Hey you guys come on in" John said as they walked in and Michael put Lily down as she ran up to Marcy and began touching her stomach.."Hows it going bro" John gave his brother a quick hug..

"just work ya know and you?" Michael asked..

"You know same old, same old" John said as he offered his brother a beer and he gratefully took it..

"Oh you two lets not have a duplicate of the last barbecue" Marcy warned with a smile as she let Lily touch her stomach more and talk to the baby..

"I will let you know right now that Thomas had it coming" John said as Michael nodded in agreement..

"he was being out of hand" Michael added as Marcy playfully rolled her eyes..

"there's my two best men" Eve said as she walked out from the hallway and came over, hugging Michael.."Your looking wonderful Marcy, any chance the baby will come early"

"Oh I hope not Miss Eve, were not even done with the nursery yet" Marcy said and then gave Michael a knowing stare..

"I'm working on it, gosh the baby will have a bed to sleep in when he or she is born" Michael said as he sipped his beer..

"you don't know the sex yet?" Eve said with disappointment..

"we want to be surprised" Marcy grinned.

"which means half of the things I already got will probably be taken back to the store" Michael rolled his eyes..

"i want a baby brother" Lily said as they all looked at her and giggled some..

"Oh pumpkin the baby will be your cousin not your brother or sister" John said as he knelt down to her and she looked at him as if she didn't quite understand..

"well then that's no fun" she finally added and they all began to laugh..

"Oh pumpkin trust me you wouldn't want a crying baby in the house all the time" John said as he picked her up.."think of it this way, we can spoil the baby and then just give it back to uncle mike and aunt Marcy" he grinned..

"Thanks john" Marcy rolled her eyes as Michael laughed..

"you know he has a point that's what I do" Eve grinned..

"Yeah and while we are on the subject, I do believe candy after 7pm is not a wise decision" John said quickly as Lily laughed..

"But I love candy!" Lily said with a smile..

"what can I say, she loves candy" Eve smirked..

"Ok ok, enough about this spoiling stuff, im starved can we go" Michael said quickly as he helped his very pregnant wife up..

"I'm ready whenever you are" John grinned even as his nerves began to get the best of him. Would Natalie show and if so would it be awkward, I mean his family had no idea about her and he had a feeling tonight he would have a lot of unanswered questions..

Natalie felt her nerves building in her stomach as she sat in the truck next to her grandpa. It was funny because she was CEO of a company and held board meetings all the time with various people, most of them strangers and yet going to this barbecue was stirring up all sorts of anxiety in her.

As if her grandpa felt her anxiety he said with a smile " it will be fine you know, everyone is friendly here"

Natalie smiled nervously nodding her head as she sat there. She didn't think anyone would be mean and she wasn't really worried about that, she was worried about seeing him again and not knowing how to act now as if she should be acting differently. She continued to stare out the window, chanting to herself that it would be fine, it would be..

The sight of this barbecue was at a local park and she was stunned to see how many people were there. She had been preparing herself for maybe a gathering of twenty but what she saw instead looked like hundreds, possibly the entire town..

"you know us Texans like everything big" her grandpa joked as he found a parking spot and then looked at Natalie who honestly felt like she may just pass out.."come on darling, beers awaiting for us" Natalie smiled nervously, she would definitely need one or twelve, right now she wasn't sure..

The sound of a band playing caught her attention immediately as she jumped out of the truck. She felt like a pro now getting in and out of the big Chevy's. The place was insanely loud too, as if a concert was going on. She would need some time adjusting..She walked arm in arm with her grandpa as he nodded politely at some people and others he would pat their backs as they made their way through the crowd. At this rate she wouldn't even know if John was there or not.

Her grandpa continued to lead the way until she finally saw a familiar face, it was of the bar owner Mac and he immediately waved them over.."Well I'll be hot damned you came out old man" mac said as the two shared a brief hug..

"watch who your calling old man" Asa smirked as the two laughed and then Mac looked to Natalie.

"and I see you brought yourself a beautiful date" Mac smiled.."nice to see you again Natalie"

"you too Mac" she said with a smile..

"well are you gonna pass me a beer or not" Asa grinned at Mac as he stood by one of the numerous coolers that were placed just about every where in the park from what Natalie could see..

"ladies first old timer" Mac laughed some as he handed Natalie a beer first and then Asa.."so tell me how does it feel to actually join the living" he said to Asa as the two men began a conversation as Natalie awkwardly stood by and drank her beer..Talk about feeling like a third wheel and seriously where was John? She kept dipping her head to the left then the right..

"Expecting someone" she heard his voice from behind her as she stiffened slightly and then turned to face him. He looked better then ever in his buttoned down shirt and faded jeans.."well I have to say that you definitely know how to wear them boots" he grinned before she spoke..

"you clean up pretty well yourself" she smiled at him..

"i was hoping you would come here" he continued to admire her outfit, she looked seriously hot and his body was already reacting to her. He wanted nothing more than to pull her aside and lose himself in her body..

"you were now, huh" she played the shy part to a T as she grinned at him.."its quite a place"she said as she looked around and then saw a small brown haired girl with those same blue eyes running over..

"Daddy daddy can I get some cotton candy, Mr Wheeler is making some and I really want it" Lily said as she ran up to him and then she looked at Natalie and she moved back some as if she was shy..

"sure darling by the way this is Miss Natalie" he said as the girl shook her head..

"Nice to meet you Miss Natalie" she said softly, almost above a whisper..

"and its very nice to meet you Lily, your dad has told me good things about you" Natalie said with a nervous smile.."and that is some dress, maybe I could borrow it one day"

Lily began a fit of laughter as she looked at Natalie.."it would be too small, you would look silly" she continued to laugh..

"as silly as this" Natalie made a funny face as Lily began to laugh some more and John laughed too. He was actually surprised and yet relieved that she was getting along with Lily..

"Your funny" Lily said as she stood by her dad.."do you want some cotton candy?" she asked Natalie.

"Oh sweetheart im sure that Natalie has other things to" John began as Natalie cut him off..

"I would love some cotton candy, maybe they have the blue kind, that's my favorite" Natalie said with a smile. She liked this little girl, she liked her a lot and that was surprising considering that she usually didn't do well around kids..

"daddy daddy can we?" Lily began to jump up and down..

"yeah can we" Natalie jumped a little as John shook his head..

"Oh boy I see that the two of you are going to be trouble together" he laughed.."and yes you can have cotton candy"

"yay!" Lily jumped up and down again.."come on Miss Natalie its over here" Lily said as she ran over and grabbed Natalie's hand in a surprising move as John watched..

"were going to get cotton candy" Natalie said to John as she was pulled away and he just watched for a second as he ran a hand through his hair..

"wow are you gonna tell me who that gorgeous woman is" Michael said as he came over with a look of awe on his face..

"Asa's granddaughter" John replied quickly..

"well hot damn" Michael shook his head..

"really Michael, your drooling" John said sarcastically..

"hey man I can look but not touch, I ain't dead ya know" Michael laughed.

"you would be if Marce heard ya" John grinned as Michael spun around nervously and then looked back at his brother as John laughed.

"real funny man, so are you gonna tell me how exactly you know her" Michael raised an eyebrow..

"like I said she is Asa's granddaughter" john said once more..

"and? You don't just let anyone run off with Lily" Michael said suspiciously.

"anyone ever tell you that your nosy as hell" John laughed..

"well then make that two nosy people" Eve said as she walked over to her sons.."who is that woman"

"Asa's granddaughter" Michael said quickly as he looked back at Natalie and Lily as they stood watching the cotton candy get made..

"Hmmm interesting, didn't you say you have been working over there" Eve raised an eyebrow..

"and so the plot thickens" Michael grinned..

John began to walk over to Natalie and Lily.."you two have fun" he said with a laugh..

Natalie watched the excitement and awe in Lily's face as the cotton candy got made.."oh watch watch, this is my favorite part" Lily said with a huge smile as the man began to spin the cotton candy onto a stick..

"i think its mine too" Natalie smiled as John came over.."feeling left out?" she smirked at him playfully..

"If I knew that cotton candy was this popular I may of just got a stand myself" John smirked..

"Oh daddy can we get a cotton candy machine for home, please please pretty please" Lily said with wide eyes..

"Oh I think you will have enough cotton candy today to last years" John laughed as Lily was handed her stick and she immediately bit into it..

"i cant remember the last time I had cotton candy" Natalie said honestly as she grabbed her stick and immediately bit into the soft feathery goodness..

"me either" John smiled as he leaned down and took a bite of Lily's.

"Oh daddy get your own" Lily protested as Natalie laughed..

"yes get your own" Natalie added and then she saw something she knew Lily would love as her eyes got wide.."hey Lily I will race you to the balloon truck" she grinned as Lily turned and saw the man making balloon animals.."ready, set.." Natalie began but then Lily took off running.."hey I didn't say go yet" Natalie said with a laugh and then she took off running as John followed them..

By the time they ate the cotton candy and had enough balloon animals to fill a small car, they ended up sitting on a blanket as they listened to the music. Natalie had been introduced to John's brother Michael and his wife as well as Johns mother Eve. They seemed to look at her with awe and it was intimidating to say the least especially since Michael couldn't help his intruding..

"so you just got to town huh" Michael said with a smirk..

"Yep" Natalie said with a nervous smile..

"and your from AC" Eve added with a smile..

"i thought I needed a break so what better way to do that then to see my grandpa" Natalie said quickly..

"You wouldn't happen to be the same Natalie Buchanan that runs the Vibe magazine, would you?" Marcy asked with curiosity as Natalie swallowed hard..

"Yep" she said quickly as John looked at her a bit surprised now he knew she was a Buchanan and he basically knew what that meant but he had no idea that she ran her own company..

"wow were sitting with royalty John" Eve said with amazement as Natalie began to turn red..

"No shit, pardon my language" Michael said quickly as his mother shot him a look.."you know I always wanted to know how you all got your stories" Michael began..

"you know I believe Natalie said she was here to take a break Michael" John said with a warning to his brother but the truth of the matter was that the more he thought about her stature in society, the more the reality of the situation at hand became real. She had a life in AC, a good life with a newspaper she ran, she wouldn't just up and drop it all which meant she wouldn't be in Texas much longer..

The tension in the air became palpable as John stood now, visibly annoyed.."i didn't mean" Michael began as Natalie stood now too..Lily was now crashed out on the blanket with her sticky fingers in her hair..

"its alright, really" Natalie began as John looked at her..

"yeah well im sure the last thing you wanna discuss is your life back there" he began as he breathed deep.."im gonna go get a beer" he said as he began to walk away..

"but there's a cooler here John" Eve called out but he kept walking and Natalie quickly went after him..

"Hey... hold up" she called as he stopped now and slowly turned to face her.."you ok?"

"yeah its just, my family can be nosy im sorry if they pried too much" he said as an excuse when he really wanted to ask her when she was planning on leaving. He felt sick with the idea..

"trust me im use to be bombarded with questions" she said honestly.."are you sure your ok" she asked again. He just seemed out of sorts, it bothered her to see him that way..

"You look pretty by the way,i don't know if I told you that or not" he said honestly and as a distraction..Suddenly he felt like time was not on his side, that any moment she could leave and then what?

"You already said that but you can say it again" she said with a soft smile..

He moved closer to her so that he was just inches away from her.."you know there is something bothering me" he said quietly as she felt a pit in her stomach as she looked at the seriousness on his face.."come with me" he said as he put his hand out to her and she nervously took it as he began walking fast through the crowd of people..

Natalie honestly didn't know what to say, he seemed determined and focused as he walked. It made her nervous as she kept trying to ask him where they were going and she kept getting the same answer which was you will see soon..

They moved past the crowd of people and towards the side of the stage where the band played. It was so loud there that she could barely hear herself think as he pulled her behind one of the large makeshift walls that hid them from prying eyes..

"John what is it" she began as he turned and pulled her close. His lips crashing into hers in a heated and dominating kiss that had her belly doing somersaults. It last for minutes as they devoured each others mouths and his hands trailed all over her body as he pushed her against the wall. Kissing her with such intensity that she felt completely lightheaded.. When he finally pulled back, panting heavily as was she. He put his forehead against hers..

"I have been dying to do that" he finally spoke as he opened his eyes.."do you have any idea what you do to me and then to see you dressed like this" he shook his head and laughed a little.."you can make a man loose his mind"

"well I will definitely take that as a compliment" she said with a smile.."and by the way it works both ways cowboy" she said playfully..

"im glad you came" he said honestly..

"so am i" she smiled as she pulled his mouth back to her and they kissed once more..The sound of someone on the microphone speaking as the music died down made them pull apart..

"alright ladies and gents you know what time it is!" the speaker got the crowd to cheer as Natalie looked at John..

"what time is it?" she asked with confusion as he grinned..

"something your not going to miss out on, come on" he said as he grabbed her hand and she saw so many people lined up in rows as they came out by the side..

"what the"she began to say as John grinned wider..

"well you said you couldn't wait to see me line dance" he smirked..

"what? You kidding" she couldn't help but laugh..

"oh and your not getting out of it" he said as he pulled her to one of the lines as she turned a million shades of white..

"But I have no idea what im doing" she said suddenly more afraid then she has ever been. She had never line danced before and now its was too late to back out because the music began to play and everyone began to move as she laughed out loud..

"Just move you'll get it" he said as she moved to the right and watched everyone else, copying them as she laughed.. She seriously couldn't believe she was doing this but she was, she was actually line dancing and so was John..

By the time the dance was over Natalie was literally sweating and laughing. She couldn't believe how much of a work out that was.."You did pretty darn good little lady" he said with a heavy Texas accent and she rolled her eyes playfully at him..

"was that my granddaughter up there doing the two step" Asa said as he came over with a wide grin on his face..

"Yes sir it was" Natalie grinned..

"well I'll be" he shook his head..

"she's a natural Asa" John added..

"i think that has a lot to do with her dance partner now if you kids don't mind I need to hit the hay" he smiled.."would you be able to make sure my granddaughter gets home safe" he said to John..

"of course sir" John said quickly and Natalie blushed some as Lily came running over..

"did you see me daddy, I did the dance" she said proudly..

"I saw darling and you look just as cute as a button" Asa smiled as Lily laughed and then the rest of johns family came over.."and who is the image of beauty before me" he said as he looked at Eve who blushed..

"don't be getting any ideas" eve smiled big as John picked up Lily.."well this little one is getting heavy eyed John" she began..

"i believe she is" John said with a smile as Lily laid her head on his shoulder..

"can Natalie tuck me in daddy" Lily said with sleepy eyes..

"well im gonna hit the road big brother" Michael said as they said their good nights..

"Me too John, unless you want me to watch the little one" Eve raised an eyebrow..

"I got her mom, see you tomorrow" he smiled as she came over and kissed him on the cheek and then whispered in his ear that she liked Natalie, a lot..

"Good night Miss Natalie, I hope to be seeing more of you" she grinned..

"same to you Miss Eve" Natalie smiled..

"well let me walk you to your car" Asa smiled big as he put his arm on the small of Eve's back and she laughed..

"No ideas big guy" she laughed as they walked off and Natalie looked at John and a half asleep Lily..

"You don't have to tuck her in if you don't want" he began and she smiled..

"actually I would love to" she said as he smiled bigger and then he took her hand as they headed to his truck..

Unbeknownst to them among the crowd of people stood Marty, watching them from a distance. Her eyes filled with anger.."hey Marty you getting ready to go" one of her friends Beth said as she walked over to her..

"do you know who that girl is" Marty asked with bitterness raising in her body..

"what girl?" Beth asked with a yawn..

"Never mind, yeah im ready" she said quickly as they took off to leave. Marty didn't know who that girl was that was with John but she had a feeling that is why he shot her down earlier and she didn't like that, not one bit..


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Lily was fast asleep as they drove in silence to John's two story ranch.. The property looked enormous and it was very well manicured She was impressed as they got out and John carried a sleeping Lily.."its a bit of a mess" he said quickly as he looked at Natalie..

She rolled her eyes at him.."John im sure its fine, you have a beautiful home" she said suddenly feeling nervous to actually go inside but there was no backing out now..

He opened the door as they stepped in and the place was absolutely gorgeous with intricate wood work throughout the living room not to mention a large flat screen tv on the wall and a large fireplace..

"Daddy" Lily said as she began to open her eyes and then she looked around and spotted Natalie as she smiled big and Natalie smiled back at her..

"come on lets show Natalie your room" he said as he continued to carry her as they got to the large bedroom that had pink and blue paint on the walls as well as a large hand crafted sleigh bed..He put Lily down as Natalie looked around the room..

"did you make all of this yourself" Natalie asked somewhat in shock..

"yeah just kind of a hobby of mine" John said quickly as he took of Lily's shoes..

"daddy builds a lot of things" Lily began as she got up off the bed and ran to her closet.."wanna see my doll house" she said as John began to laugh..

"You know its late pumpkin" he began..

"but daddy" Lily began to protest as she began pulling out toys from her closet and then the dollhouse..

"Oh wow, this is a nice doll house" Natalie began as John shook his head and then ran his hand through his hair..

"well I can see im not wanted" John began as Lily continued to show Natalie her toys.."I'm just gonna get some coffee going then" he said as he got to the door..

"wait daddy" Lily said as she got up from the floor and ran over to him as he picked her up and she kissed his cheek.."Night daddy"

"Night pumpkin, love you" he kissed her back..

"love you too" Lily said as he put her down and then she ran back over to Natalie as John left the room. He couldn't get smile off of his face. Lily really had taken a liking to Natalie and she was so good with her. He hated to get his hopes up but damn it how could he not. He was really falling for Natalie and falling for her hard and he could see he wasn't the only one..

Natalie watched as Lily showed her all of her toys. She hated to think that this sweet little girl never really had a mom but she could see that John made up for it. He really was an amazing dad and to be doing it all alone, Natalie couldn't even imagine..

"can you read me a story" Lily asked as she walked over to a shelf that held books..

"sure, pick one out" Natalie said with a smile as Lily grabbed one and then got on her bed..

"i like this one, the bunny is funny" Lily said with a giggle as she got into the bed and pulled the blankets up over her..

"well I do like funny bunnies" Natalie smiled as Lily giggled some more and she sat on the side of the bed as she opened the book..

"do you like my daddy" Lily asked with wide eyes as Natalie looked at her..

"actually I do, is that ok?" Natalie asked with a smile..

"Uh huh.. I think daddy likes you too" Lily smiled big..

"and what about you, do you like me?" Natalie asked..

"very much" lily smiled big and Natalie couldn't help for her heart to swell for this little girl..

"i like you too lily, very much" Natalie said with a smile.." now lets see what this funny bunny is up to" she said as she opened the book and began to read as Lily laid there and watched her..

John got the fireplace going as he brought two cups of coffee into the living room. He put the television on quiet as he sat back onto the couch. His mind racing now as he thought of Natalie. He hadn't given any thought to the fact that she was indeed a Buchanan. It wasn't something that had affected him either way but now as he sat there with his thoughts running rampid he couldn't help but wonder what all of this meant.

Would she leave and they would continue a long distance relationship. He immediately shook that idea out of his head, he could never see that working. Being away from her would absolutely drive him crazy! Would she want him to move to AC, he knew he could never do that not just for himself but for Lily, they had a life here with friends and family..

He began to wonder if maybe she would just leave and all of this would have been just a wonderful memory and nothing more, that made him feel as sick as much as them trying a long distance relationship..

"penny for your thoughts" Natalie said as she walked out into the living room. Lily was fast asleep now and John looked heavy in thought, she swallowed hard as he looked at her and smiled..

"Nah just enjoying the peace and quiet" he lied as he patted next to him for her to take a seat and she did.."I'm not sure how you like your coffee, I put hazelnut creamer in it"

"well then you did good, hazelnut is my favorite" she smiled as she sat down next to him and then took a sip of the coffee as she sighed with delight.."Your place really is amazing John, how come you haven't tried to make a business of making things"

John laughed now as he ran his hand through his hair.."because I don't want to ruin it, I love to build stuff but if it became a business then it would just become something I had to do not to mention it would take the enjoyment out of it" he said honestly..

"but you could make some serious money" she said quickly..

"yeah well im pretty content with my finances" he said a bit abruptly and she suddenly felt a coldness from him, had she offended him in some way..

"John I didn't mean to pry" she said apologetically..

"yeah well some of us are just happy with what we have" he said as he stood now and she was confused as she looked at him..

"I wasn't saying" she said as she stood up now..

"you didn't have to Natalie, I know that your family has more money then they know what to do with" he began as her eyes got wide.."your Asa Buchanan's granddaughter for god sake, you run a high profile newspaper, you have the life" he sounded cold as he spoke and she honestly was at a loss for words..

She finally spoke.."my life isn't perfect you know"

"its pretty damn close" he shook his head..

"are you mad at me because of my family?" she didn't know where this was coming from..

"I'm not mad im just being realistic, I like you Natalie, Lily likes you its just" he walked past her now, not knowing if he should continue.

"i like you too John and lily" she said quietly as he kept his back to her..

"but honestly Natalie I just don't see where this, this can go anywhere" he said quietly..

Natalie swallowed hard, suddenly feeling a heaviness in her chest as she looked at him standing with his back to her, completely tense.."what are you trying to say" she finally blurted the words out as her hands began to shake..

"I just don't see this going anywhere, were from two different worlds Natalie" he said honestly as he faced her now.."i just cant continue for Lily's sake, she is already getting attached and I..." he shook his head.."can you honestly tell me that you see this going anywhere"

"i.. I just don't know" she said honestly.."i mean I like you John, I like being with you" she began..

He cut her off.."But you have a life somewhere else, I get it but I have a life here and so does Lily"

The mood got incredibly somber as they stood there. She honestly felt like crying, was this some how a goodbye?

"i care about you Natalie and it scares me how much I care" he said honestly as she swallowed hard..

Natalie walked up to him now, emotion pouring from her voice.."then why cant we just see what happens, I don't want this to be goodbye"

"because the longer this happens, the deeper I fall for you Natalie" he swallowed hard now as she stood in front of him.."i sound crazy, I've only know you for a few days" he shook his head...

"But I feel it too" she finally said as she touched his face, she loved the feeling of his stubble against her hand.."ive never felt so drawn to anyone in my life"

John breathed heavy as she held her hand on his cheek and then he put his hand on hers.."I'm falling in love with you Natalie" he said as his lips crashed into hers in a heated kiss. He knew that doing this wasn't going to help the situation but damn it he wanted her, he wanted her so bad that his body ached to touch her and to be touched..

The hungry kiss quickly became something more as he spun them around and her back was against the wall as their mouths devoured each other.. She couldn't think much less breath without panting as his hand slid up the side of her thigh as he pushed himself against her harder and then he was lifting her leg up against his thigh.

She could feel his erection pressing hard against her as his mouth descended from hers and against her neck and her throat.."god I want you so bad" he growled deep as he looked at her. The desire in her eyes matching his as he lifted her up now and she wrapped her legs around him as their mouths collided once more as he began walking down the hall quickly to his bedroom..

She couldn't even tell he had got to his bedroom until she heard the door close and then he was putting her down as he pulled off his shirt. His eyes burning with such a desire that she felt her stomach tighten as she looked at him and then he was kissing her once more as his hands went to her skirt as he deftly unbuttoned it and it slid down her legs as he pulled his mouth from hers and looked at her standing there with just a white blouse on and black lace panties.

She quickly removed her shirt as she kept her eyes on him and then he was unbuttoning his jeans as she removed her bra and then her panties. She felt so vulnerable standing there in front of him completely naked but soon he was joining her as he stood there. His erection thick and long as he inhaled deep, looking over her body.

She took two steps closer to him so that her breasts now touched his chest and her hand moved down between them until she had circled her hand around his length as he let out a low groan.. She moved her hand slowly at first. She ran her hand up and down with a firm grip. His jaw tightened as he kept his eyes on her and then his hands went to her breasts as she shivered with his touch. His hands rough and strong against her body. It was an overwhelming feeling and then he rolled her nipples against his thumb as she squeezed him even tighter, eliciting a groan from him and just as he went to lean his head down to get access to her breasts, she dropped to her knees before him..

"Natalie" he began to protest and then she was taking his hot hard length into her mouth as he let out a deep breath..."Oh fuck" he groaned as her mouth worked him. He could barely stand it as he rolled his head back.."god your mouth, soo good" he groaned as she took him from root to tip and then back again..

The sounds he was making and the feeling of him growing impossibly larger in her mouth had her body humming and aching for him to be inside of her but she wanted to do this for him. She wanted to give him the same amount of pleasure he had given her..Her hand moved with her mouth as his legs stiffened.."god Natalie your gonna make me cum, you have to stop" he groaned but she continued her onslaught as she sucked against him, making his legs weak...He knew he was so close, absolutely on the brink as she sucked and licked against him with a wild bobbing of her head...He grabbed onto her red hair as he groaned even deeper... He began to thrust against her mouth as he pushed her lips onto him. She was taking all over him and his eyes were damn near in the back of his head now.."god Natalie, fuck!" he groaned and tightened his grip on her hair as he thrust once more into his mouth before emptying his seed down her throat.

Natalie smiled as she took her mouth off him and looked up. The look he gave her was so intense, so raw that it literally made her mouth water at what was next. He leaned down and took her arms as he pulled her up and then immediately his mouth was against hers as they crashed onto the bed. His weight heavy against her as he kissed her savagely. He moved her legs with his as they continued to kiss and then she felt him against her slick folds. He was still hard and throbbing against her sensitive flesh and before she could react he was entering her deep as he embedded himself inside of her and they out a collective gasp as he pulled his mouth from hers..

He brushed some hair from her face as he began to move slowly inside of her as she panted at his large intrusion on her body..."so good" he groaned as he moved his head down to her breasts and immediately took one nipple into his mouth as he sucked hard and rolled the other one between his fingers..

"Oh god" she let out a small whimper as all the sensations began to rock her body.

They finally lay motionless in the bed, both sated and spent as she kept her head on his chest. His heart beat thudding away heavily as was hers. Neither of them said anything though neither were asleep either.. As she went to speak so did he as she lifted her head up and looked at him..

"You first" she said with a lazy smile..

"ladies first" he smiled softly back at her as she sat up more now, dragging the blanket as she did to cover her exposed body..

"i know you think this is a risk and in ways it is" she began as he sat up now too and her eyes lingered on his chest. My god he looked amazing in this moonlight, she had to shake her head to clear her mind.."Your distracting, you know that right"

"and your not?" he smirked but he knew that this was a serious conversation and one they needed to have.."But you were saying" he put on a straight face and she swallowed hard..

"I'm not good at risks, actually people who know me would say that im the definition of un-risky" she continued.."But what I feel" she looked away from him.."i want this so bad"

He moved some to be closer to her and then his hand went to her chin as he lifted it up so that she could look at him. She was nervous, scared even as she looked at him.."i want this too" he finally said.."but" she knew there was a but, there was always a but somewhere.."You live in AC, you have a life there"

The next words that came out of her mouth even surprised her.."i can have a life here too" He looked just as surprised as she felt by saying that..

"but you have a paper to run" he began as his heart began the heavy thudding once more..

"i never really liked that paper and plus im letting a friend of mine run it" she began as her own heart fluttered.. Was she really doing this? Was she really just going to throw everything away that she had worked so hard for and for a relationship with him. She only had one answer in her mind, hell yes!

"your In the heat of the moment, you cant make a decision like this" he began as she cut him off..

"I have spent my life living it the way everyone told me I had to, I barely made a decision for myself and to be honest I haven't been happy in a very long time" she said honestly..

"but your family" he began..

"my family consists of me, my mother and my father" she took a deep breath.."its not like im moving across the world John, I can still visit, they can visit" she said even as she was thinking about the look in her fathers face. He would be absolutely livid.."i don't want to turn my back on this, I couldn't"

"you would do that, and what if this doesn't work out" he said with astonishment in his voice that she would do all of that for them, for him and Lily.. No one has ever done anything like that for him..

"I guess I will take my chance, I want this John...i... I want you" she said with a long breath as he sat back now and ran a hand through his hair. He was incredibly quiet as he sat there and her nerves began to get the best of her. Had she jumped the gun here, had she scared him away.."say something, please" she finally said just above a whisper..

"Ok" he nodded his head as she shook her head..

"Ok?" she said with confusion and then he smiled as he grabbed hold of her and flipped her over so that he was on top of her, a smile on his face..

"ok, lets do this" he smiled as his lips crashed into hers..

Natalie awoke to the sound of faint laughing and the smell of home cooking. For a moment she thought she was back at her grandpa's place but then the images of what took place last night filled her head. She was at John's place! She immediately sat up and then gasped as she quickly covered her naked form. She hadn't even remembered falling asleep and she had been deciding to make a quick get a way before Lily woke up, she hated to have it awkward for the small girl and for her too.

She quickly began to get dressed at a fast pace as her heart beat away heavily. My god his daughter could of come in at any time and to see her naked. She was beyond mortified at the idea!

John couldn't get the grin off his face as he cooked breakfast. He had even called his mom and told her he was taking the day off. He wanted the day to be about them, he wanted to show Natalie what Texas was all about.

"Daddy it smells so good, wait til Nana gets here" Lily said with a smile as she bounced up and down on the chair..

"actually Pumpkin I thought that maybe we could spend the day together with Miss Natalie" he began as Lily's eyes got wide with excitement.."what do you think about that?"

"Yippee!" she said with her arms in the air as John laughed and then he glanced at the doorway as Natalie stood there nervously..

"speaking of which, look who is here" John grinned as Lily spun in her chair..

"You got here fast, daddy she got here fast!" Lily said with amazement as John laughed..

"well that is because I have a magic carpet that I fly around on" Natalie smirked as Lily laughed..

"Your funny" Lily giggled.."daddy made breakfast"

"I see that and it smells wonderful" Natalie said with a nervous smile..

"I hope you don't mind, im not really sure what you like to eat" John began..

"I can get the orange juice" Lily smiled big as she ran to the fridge and Natalie walked closer to John..

"i cant believe I slept that long" she said with a shake of her head..

"You looked tired" he smirked and winked at her.."and hopefully starving"

"Pretty close to it" she smiled as she helped Lily with the juice..

"watch I can do it" Lily said as she began to fill the cups with juice..

"well yes you can, your a big girl" Natalie said to her as John finished the pancakes..

"Uh huh, almost six" Lily smiled proudly..

"wow that is big" Natalie smiled..

"well ladies it is time to eat" John said as he put a big plate of pancakes on the table as well as eggs and bacon..

"wow John this looks great" Natalie said honestly. She couldn't remember the last time any guy had ever cooked for her, if ever..

"My daddy cooks alot" Lily grinned as she got into a chair and so did Natalie.

"well you gotta keep your strength up, I have something fun planned for today" he smirked as Natalie raised an eyebrow and grabbed a pancake as Lily did too..

"Oh really now and what would that be" Natalie couldn't help but smile. This was nice, like really nice..

"Oh you'll see" he took a seat too..

"surprises are fun" Lily said with a mouthful of food..

"yes they are" Natalie said as she took a bite of her pancake and John smiled at her as he too took a bite of his..


End file.
